


The Safe House

by thegoddesskym



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, i posted this all in one go, some OCs, some monsters, they go to high school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 09:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 78,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6513448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegoddesskym/pseuds/thegoddesskym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>About a year after the Giant War, Chiron offers some of the campers to work in safe houses. <br/>This means living in the mortal world without fear of monster attacks.</p><p>When Nico signed up for it he didn't know he would have to deal with high school, jealousy and nosy teenagers.</p><p> Also the whole 'safe' thing doesn't exactly work if the monster in the kitchen is anything to go by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Percy wants to buy countries

**Author's Note:**

> Hi  
> This story is already completed, so you can read it in one go. I hope you enjoy it :)

**The Safe House**

Chapter 1

When Nico di Angelo stepped into the Big House the other counselors were already there. Chiron had called a meeting this morning during breakfast, but Nico had overslept, so had only learned of it about five minutes ago.

The moment he pushed open the door to the rec-room all eyes were on him and they stopped what they were doing. Pollux had paused in mid-sentence, Clarisse held Connor by his shirt and her fist was hovering over his face and Katie and Travis were pulling on either side of something that looked like a deformed spear.

"Nico!" Percy jumped up from where he sat at the head of the pingpong table. He walked around the table and grabbed the Son of Hades by the wrist.

"Come on, I saved a seat for you"

Nico rolled his eyes and freed his wrist from Percy´s grip. The silence started to become uncomfortable, so Nico sat down next to Percy.

Once Nico sat, the tension left the room and the chaos started again. Nico let his gaze wander over the room. Most of the other counselors were talking to each other, except for Katie and Travis who were now yelling. Connor fled from Clarisse and was now at the other side of the table and the counselor of the Nike cabin, whose name Nico had forgotten, was making dolphin noises, which already got on Nico´s nerves. Some other kids started joining in and soon a concert of animal noises filled the air. With a frown he noticed, that Chiron wasn't there yet. So maybe he was actually on time.

As he learned about two seconds later, he wasn´t. The door opened again and Chiron trotted into the room. In his arms was a plastic bag full of round objects.

"Here they are. As I said before, these balls will help conceal the safe houses" He put the bag on the table, when his eyes fell on Nico."So you finally decided to join us", he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Anyway, these concealer balls will put a damper on demigod scent. It should make it safe enough to live in the mortal world and help out demigods on the run."

Chiron kept talking about some stuff Nico didn't understand. He leaned over to Percy, who wasn't really listening.

"What is he talking about?", he whispered.

"Huh, what?" Percy turned to face Nico, confusion on his face.

"What did I miss?", Nico asked again.

Percy looked back at Chiron and shrugged. "Something about safe houses and helping demigods." He looked sheepish. "I didn't really listen" He looked over at Annabeth, who sat at the other side of the table, a dreamy look on his face. "I mean, have you seen her? She looks perfect today" He sighed. Nico glanced over at Annabeth. He couldn't detect anything that was different then normally.

He decided to leave Percy to daydreaming over his girlfriend and turned the other way. On his other side sat Jason, who was listening with a frown on his face. Nico opened his mouth to ask his question, when Jason asked something himself: "But what about our duties as head-counselors?"

"These will be taken over by your second-in-commands. And you wouldn't really count as full campers anymore, seeing as you woulnd't be living here."

Now Nico was completely confused. What did Chiron mean by that?

"Do we have to do this, or is it voluntarily?", asked Lou Ellen.

"It is, of course, voluntarily, but I would be glad if some of my most trusted campers could do this, seeing as you're more than capable of defending yourself."

Defending? Safe houses? What was going on? Nico had enough of not knowing anything. He poked Jason in the ribs, who nearly jumped out of his seat at that. Nico raised an eyebrow. Someone was deep in thought.

"What is it?", Jason asked a bit distracted.

"What are they talking about?"

Jason had to stifle a laugh. "You sure came late. I don't know if it is too interesting for you, though"

Nico send him a look that clearly said 'Shut up and get on with it'. This time Jason actually laughed and Nico hit him against the arm.

"Wait, you're serious? You don't know what we're talking about?"

"I wouldn't ask, if I did!", this came out louder than he wanted and a few glances were send in their direction. Nico ignored them, he was good at that.

Jason dropped back down to a whisper. "Chiron and Reyna agreed, that it woud be good for us to build up safe houses all over northern America and maybe even the whole world. So we could help demigods on the run or on their way to camp, make their journey safer."

"And how do they plan on doing that? We will be monster lunch as soon as anyone of us is send out there"

Jason chuckled. "You give Reyna too less credit"

Nico clearly did not, but he still didn't understand how that should work.

Jason nodded to the plastic bag on the pingpong table. "That's were these balls come in. They can hide demigod scent ... partly, which makes it a lot safer"

Nico noticed the 'partly' which was probably the reason Chiron wanted them to do it. Even if most of the scent was hidden, there would still be monsters coming after them, so they needed demigods who could defend themselves and others.

Nico turned back to Chiron, who was now in the middle of rolling out a map of North-America. Seven red and seven green spots were all over the map. One near Mexico City, in the Dominican Republic, in southern Colorado, Vancouver, Chicago, northern Ontario, Montreal, Tennessee and even Hawaii.

"The red spots mark safe houses with greek demigods, the green ones with Romans. You will be moving in a few days prior to the Romans"

"Have these balls ever been tested before?", asked Katie.

Chiron nodded. "They have, but we haven't had safe houses before"

Katie nodded and looked a lot more relaxed.

"So if that is all you have on questions, everybody who is interested can stay here, the rest is allowed to go."

No one moved, not even Clovis (who was, wonder over wonder, awake), but that was expected. The offer of staying in the mortal world and leading a somewhat normal life was to good to be turned down. Chiron smiled, as if he anticipated it.

Five minutes later Nico regretted staying.

Chiron had just said that there would be teams of two moving into each safe house. Now everybody was yelling and picking partners and some were complaining that their best friends weren't counselors. Chiron was desperatly trying to get them to calm down.

Suddenly a shrill whistle pierced through the chatter.

The sound send chills down Nico's spine and his eyes snapped to the source of the sound. Will Solace stood next to Chiron, his arms crossed before his chest and sending glares at everyone who dared complain about the sound. Nico's heart fluttered at the sight of his boyfriend.

"How about everybody raises their hand before they speak?"

After most of the present demigods nodded he sat down and blushed. Will wasn't used to people actually listen to him outside of the infirmary.

Leo was the first to raise his hand and promptly started speaking. "What about people who aren't counselors. Can we take them with us?"

Everybody knew who he was speaking about. Leo and Calypso returned to Camp about three months ago, roughly the same time Will and Nico started dating. And Nico said 'roughly' because neither of them knew for sure when they started. They kissed three months and two weeks ago (not that Nico was counting), but first agreed on liking each other about a week later and then finally spoke about who they were for each other another week later. It was all really confusing.

But back to the topic.

Chiron just explained to Leo that, if the other person agreed and was able to fight good enough, this person could join him. Leo burst in flames at this and sprinted out the door. Some other campers stood up and followed, either searching for team members or deciding, that they didn't really want to go out there and just realized it.

Annabeth had joined Percy on their side of the table and they were now talking in hushed voices. Jason was looking at Piper, across the table, who seemed not to notice, as she was trying to convince Connor to give her dagger back. Clovis went back to sleep and muttered something about McDonald's and a farm. The animal noises earlier seemingly left a lasting impression.

"So", said Jason, trying to start a conversation with the son of Hades.

Nico looked at him.

"Who are you gonna partner up with?"

Well, he didn't think about that.

The moment was saved by Will, who sat in the seat next to Jason that earlier was occupied by Clarisse, who probably left in search for her boyfriend.

"So, Nico, you wanna be my partner?"

Nico looked at him startled. Was he serious? He seriously wanted to spend gods know how long with Nico instead of his friends?

"Umm..."

Will's face fell. "Oh, you already got someone"

"No! I mean yes, I mean, I would like to be your partner"

Will's face lit up again and Nico had the feeling he was staring right into the sun, so bright was Will's smile.

"That's awesome!"

Nico blushed in response. "But you do know, this is a bit more than a school project"

Will rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Course I do"

Nico couldn't help but smile too. A bit.

"This. Is. Adorable!"

Nico glared at Jason, who was looking at them with a expression Nico has only ever seen on children of Aphrodite while talking about their OTP. Will was bright red and stammered something about going back to his own seat. Not a second later Will was around the table furiously trying to get rid of the blush.

Nico scowled at the son of Jupiter. "Great, now you scared him of"

Jason just grinned stupidly and focused on Piper, who finally had her dagger back.

"Chiron?", Annabeth spoke up.

"Yes?"

"What about school? I wanted to go to college next summer and we don't know how long this will take."

"Ah. Yes, everyone of you in High School age, which is the majority, will be enrolled in school. Annabeth, Percy if you want, you could skip out or have a city with a college"

Annabeth nodded and went back to discussing things with Percy.

"Wait, we have to go to school?", came a voice from the door.

Leo stood there, Calypso behind him, with a horrified expression on his face. Nico rolled his eyes at Leo's antics.

Chrion sighed.

"Yes, Leo, you have to go to school. Because of the constant treat of monster attacks a lot of the campers have to skip out on a good education. This Safe House Program will offer you an opportunity to have a good education and maybe later even a good job. You should appreciate it", explained Annabeth before Chiron could say anything.

Chiron send her a grateful look. Everybody knew that Leo listened to Annabeth.

Leo still looked disgruntled but sat down, pulling Calypso in his lap. Leo followed a handful of other campers, Clarisse and Chris, Lou Ellen, but at the same time some of the counselors stood up and left the room.

"As much as that just made sense..."

"we are not going to school..."

"So, bye!"

Travis and Connor fled the room, Katie trailing behind them.

In the end it was only Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Chris, Clarisse, Pollux, Clovis, Leo, Calypso, Lou Ellen, Cecil, Will and Nico himself left. Surprisingly just enough for every safe house.

"I knew it would be like this as soon as we mentioned the school."

"I'm surprised you actually want to go to high school. I mean, I only have three months of senior year left, but you guys have at least one year", Percy said.

Nico just shrugged. High School was part of a normal life, so he would do that voluntarily if that meant that he didn´t have to fight monsters every wake moment.

That exact thought was spoken aloud by Clarisse, which was surprising and a bit scary.

"Do you know, who of the roman camp is going?", asked Jason.

Chiron shook his head. "Are these all the questions you have?"

All fourteen of them nodded.

"Good, then lets take a look at the locations"

Percy, being Percy, was the first one to yell "Hawaii", even though the spot there was green.

"Seaweed Brain", muttered Annabeth und shook her head amused.

Percy, noticing his mistake, declared want of the Dominican Republic next. Everybody burst out laughing at that.

"You can´t just say, you want it. That is a country not a toy" Annabeth sighed. "What will I ever do with you?"

Percy looked sheepish and sat down on his chair.

"Can we have the house there? I speak Spanish after all. And it is in the Caribbean and only awesome Captains of flaming hot warships are allowed to go there. Then I will be 'Leo Valdez, the flaming hot pirate of the Caribbean'!"

Everybody rolled their eyes at this because it was so typical Leo.

"Can we have a workshop there?", asked Calypso.

"Of course! We can even have it on our pirate ship"

"Then I am fine with it"

Chiron took a pen and scribbled their names next to the island. Percy was protesting all the time.

"Okay, next!"

* * *

 

It took a while, but finally everyone had their locations.

A lot of protesting, shouting, threatening and fighting later, every location had two names next to it.

Clarisse and Chris had gotten Mexico City, because of Chris's Hispanic heritage, Jason and Piper would be going to Ontario, because Piper understood french. Jason wasn't as happy about it, mainly because it would be colder than in Camp. Percy wasn't happy about his location either. He was stuck in Virgina. Annabeth on the other hand said, the college there had a good architecture program. Clovis and Pollux would be going to a small town in Colorado, where, according to Clovis, the best pillows in the whole world came from. Lou Ellen and Cecil had won the fight over Vancouver which left Nico and Will with Chicago. Neither of them had a problem with that, seeing as Chicago was relatively monster free since the Giant War.

"So, now that we have everything, I will let you go to dinner"

Nico was surprised how fast time has gone by. And that none of them noticed that they missed lunch.

"We meet tomorrow again for detailed information regarding your locations. Then, in the morning of the day after you will leave for your safe house. Now, go"


	2. Will throws glass balls

**The Safe House**

**Chapter 2**

The drive to Chicago was way too long for any ADHD demigod.

Will and Nico sat on the backseat of a small black car, driven by Nico's french zombie chauffeur Jules-Albert.

Will was sleeping so Nico was left on his own in figuring out what to do during the 14 hour drive. During half of the trip he slept, but about one hour ago he had woken up and was now more than just bored. He had started counting the black cars on the highway, which were too many, so he resorted to only count those that were smaller than theirs. This were surprisingly few, so half the time he forgot about the game before the next came into view. So far it was five.

"Let's play a game!"

Nico jumped slightly at the sudden sound and looked over at Will, who was now awake.

"How long have you been up?"

"A few minutes. You seemed deep in thought. What were you thinking about?"

"The fact that there are more bright green cars than really small black ones."

Will stared at him weirdly before coming back to the topic at hand. "So, what about this game?"

"You never told me what we were playing"

"Dunno...", Will looked out the window. "Counting cars?"

"Nope", Nico said, popping the 'p'. "Already did that."

"We could poke Jules-Albert until he reacts."

"You could do that for a really long time. I doubt he would do anything until we reached Chicago"

"When are we there, anyway?"

Nico shrugged and peered out of the window. A sign at the side of the road showed the distance until the city. "About three and a half hours, I guess"

"That's too long!", Will cried out and slumped back into the seat. He looked like he was pouting.

"Will?"

Will just crossed his arms and turned away. Yep, definitely pouting.

Nico rolled his eyes. It wasn't his fault they had to drive this long. If they had it Nico's way, they would have shadow-traveled, but Will was strictly against using Nico's powers even if it was eight months since his fading problem.

"We could still play your stupid games"

Will turned to him and grinned.

"What about 'I see something you don't'?"

"No"

* * *

Three hours later, the car rolled through the streets of Chicago.

Nico had just woken up from a short nap, after playing some stupid car games for about two hours.

Will was looking out the window with big eyes, shining in the light of the street lamps. Nico couldn't help but stare at him. It was still unbelievable for him that that guy actually liked him.

Will turned towards him. "This city is really awesome" Then he started laughing.

"Why are you laughing?"

Will shrugged and glanced out of the window again. "I guess I can't really believe I'm actually here right now"

He looked back at Nico and smiled that cheeky smile he only used with Nico.

"That bad?"

"No, quite the opposite."

Then he leaned over and kissed him. The kiss didn't last long, it was more a peck on the lips than a real kiss, but it was enough to get the skeletal butterflies in Nico's stomach to fly around wildly. Will was still smiling like crazy and Nico couldn't help but blush.

Jules-Albert chose that moment to suddenly stop.

"We are here!", yelled Will and opened the door.

Before he could jump out, Nico pulled him back in.

"It's just a red light! Close the door"

Will turned a deep scarlet and shut the door.

"Oops"

Nico started laughing at that and Will pouted.

"Yeah, just laugh at the stupid son of Apollo, who was nearly run over by some car"

Nico arched an eyebrow at his antics and Will couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. The car started moving again and a comfortable silence filled the car.

About five minutes later Will leaned forward in his seat and poked his head between the two front seats.

"Jules-Albert, when will we reach our destination?"

"I don't think-", started Nico, but was interrupted by the zombie.

"In approximately seven minutes and fourteen seconds, Monsieur Will."

Jules-Albert had a deep voice with a obvious french accent.

Nico gaped at him. "You talk?"

"Oui, Monsieur Nico. When directly spoken to I am able to answer"

With that he shut up again and only moved when his hands were turning the steering wheel.

Will stared at Nico surprised. "I didn't think this would actually work. You seriously never asked him something?"

"Of course I did! He just never answered. Anyway, you heard him. We'll be there in a few, so wait a bit until getting out"

Will scowled at his boyfriend, but said nothing.

They stopped in front of a five story building in a light brown.

Jules-Albert parked the small car in a free parking lot at the side of the road and then disappeared in a crack in the sidewalk.

"Thanks for driving", Nico muttered at it, then turned to Will, who was fiddling with the keys.

"Dammit!", cursed the son of Apollo, when they dropped to the floor.

Nico decided to get the bags out of the trunk. When he returned to Will's side, the taller boy had opened the door and was waiting for him. As soon as the son of Hades was inside the door slammed shut.

"Did you get the keys?", asked Nico, knowing how scatty Will was at times.

"Oh!"

Will slammed his palm to his forehead and hurried back to the front door. Looking sheepish he pulled the keys out of the keyhole and closed it again.

"What would I do without you?", he asked and threw his arm over Nico's shoulder.

It was probably better not to answer, so Nico trudged forwards towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. Will followed, his arm remaining at the same spot. How he managed that was a mystery to Nico, seeing as Will was walking to steps behind him. Maybe it was because he was nearly a head taller than Nico.

The elevator opened with a 'Ding' and Will pushed Nico inside, before the doors could close again. It was one of those elevators were barely two people could stand in without touching each other. The doors slid closed which left the two boys in a really small space.

"One second thought, I think I'm gonna take the stairs"

Nico gulped. Ever since being trapped in that jar in Rome he hated small rooms and sometimes even got some sort of panic attack. Will looked down at his boyfriend and wrapped an arm around him.

"Just breathe."

Nico took a shaky breath and relaxed a bit when he had no trouble breathing. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine he was somewhere else. It didn't work and the black behind his eyelids was replaced by flashes of bronze. Nico's eyes snapped open again. Around him was just the gray of the elevator and Will, who was still holding him close. Still, his heartbeat didn't return to normal and he still felt, as if he was suffocating. It felt like eternity until the doors opened again and Nico all but fled from the elevator, nearly running over an old lady. He leaned on the wall with on arm and tried to control his breathing, when he felt Will next to him.

"You okay?"

Nico nodded and straitened up. "I'm fine."

Will didn't look convinced, but let it pass. He knew when not to push.

Instantly Will returned to his cheery self and skipped down the corridor. "Come on then, we have a apartment to move into"

* * *

The apartment was bigger than Nico would have thought. And brighter.

Big windows let them have a great view down the street, which was lined with trees and cars, a white couch was sitting in the middle of the living room, a small table behind it and a medium sized TV in front. Behind the table was the kitchen in dark wood and metal and an isle, of the same kind, separated her from the living room. On the other side of the room was a small hallway with two doors next to each other, probably leading to a bathroom and a bedroom. A huge shelf lined the wall next to the front door, filled with books, some movies, something that looked like a stack of drachmas and two daggers, one silver and one celestial bronze. The whole apartment was painted in soft yellow and orange, going well with the carpet and the cushions.

"Looks homey", Will said, dropping his bag on the floor next to the door and letting himself fall onto the couch.

Nico had to agree, even if the colors wouldn't have been his first pick.

The apartment made him instantly feel at home. He walked the short distance to the table and took the envelope that was laying there.

"We got post already?", mumbled Will from where he was laying, face first in the couch.

"It's from Chiron"

"Oh"

Nico opened the envelope with one of the daggers lying one the shelf ("That's a dagger, not a paper knife, Nico!") and pulled a piece of paper out. He quickly scanned it, before searching for a thrash can.

"What does it say?"

"Just a reminder to always wear these concealer thingies and to contact Chiron if something happens. Do you know where the trash can is?"

"I just moved in, remember?"

Nico found it behind the kitchen isle and threw the letter in.

"Nico, catch!", came a yell from Will.

The son of Hades spun around, just the see a round object sailing past his head. It slammed into the stove and broke. A silvery mist floated out of the broken shards of a small glass ball. Nico stared at it, wondering what it was, when the smell hit him. The mist smelled like a mixture between rotten eggs, cheese and a tropical fruit.

"Holy Hades, what is that?"

Will pressed a hand over his nose and tried to breathe trough his mouth. Nico didn't answer, instead backing away from the kitchen, trying and failing not to breathe the mist in. It was horrible, burning in the nose and making his eyes water. Will opened a window, leaning out wide to get fresh air. Nico went over to him, opening another, letting the mist float out.

Surprisingly it worked, the whole silver mist going out the window and drifting towards the stars in the sky. The smell didn't go. It stank everywhere after this whatever-it-was.

Will went over to clean up the broken ball, while Nico stayed where he was, next to the window and hoping the smell would fade.

"What exactly just happened?", Will asked, sitting next to the stove, picking up the shards.

"Someone" Here Nico glared at Will "decided it was fun to throw around glass balls with stinking mist inside."

Will glared right back. "This someone told you to catch it"

"When it was already way past me!"

"So it's my fault now?"

The two of them were now yelling at each other.

"Yes! Everybody knows, that glass breaks when thrown against a stove!"

"I didn't know there was _that_ inside!"

Will had advanced on Nico and was now standing right in front of him, arms crossed and glaring at him with a look he couldn't quite place. Something about it made Will look really sexy. Nico mentally slapped himself, now was not the time to think that. He looked away from Will, his eyes darting all over the room, so that he didn't have to look into these clear blue eyes, staring at him like that.

"What did you throw, anyway?", he asked, calmer now.

Will sighed. "A concealer ball. I'm sorry"

"Don't worry. How many do we have left?"

Will shrugged.

"About five?", he sounded unsure. Probably worrying if they were enough.

Nico gave him a small smile, showing him that he shouldn't worry and made his way over to the bag on the couch.

He pulled one of the glass balls out. A silver mist was swirling around in it, making it look like a crystal ball used for fortune telling. They were supposed to carry one around with them all the times, in case of Nico maybe even two. But now, after what happened in the kitchen he was cautious to even think about carrying it around. What if it got smashed? Or he accidentally dropped it? Carefully he put the glass ball back into the bag and stood up.

Will was sitting on the table, watching him.

"You hungry?"

Nico shook his head. "Just tired. I think I will just go to sleep now."

As soon as he said it, the exhaustion hit him like a wall. The last hour was way too eventful for one evening. First the travel, the curiosity about the apartment, the thing in the elevator and now this stupid glass ball. Nico could use a good nights sleep now.

"Sure", Will said, picking up his bag and skipping down the hall. Nico could hear a door close and soon water started running. He walked over, through the hallway and to the door at the end. Pushing it open he took a step into the room and froze.

The room itself wasn't bad. It was a light orange, with a light brown closet at one side and a window out on the street. No, the problem was the queen sized bed in the middle of the room. _Of course_ , he though, _I should have known this_. They were together anyway, it shouldn't be a problem. Still, he couldn't help but blush at the thought of sharing a bed with Will Solace.

The water stopped and Will came out of the bathroom. He took one look at Nico's red face and started grinning like stupid.

"What is it?", he asked, sounding way to happy in Nico's opinion.

He scowled at him, causing Will to laugh. Why didn't his glare work on this idiot?

"Shut up", he mumbled and turned back to the bedroom.

Slamming the door in Will's face, he kicked of his shoes and collapsed on the bed. He was so tired, he didn't even notice Will coming in after him.


	3. Nico meets an ironfence

**Chapter 3**

Nico was hungry.

The fridge was empty, the apples Will insisted on bringing were already eaten last afternoon and it was too early to go to a convenient store. This actually made him wonder why he was up this early.

"First of all, we have to go shopping!"

Oh right, that was the reason. Will was pacing in front of him, making plans on what to do before going to school. Which was today too so they had to get up early.

"It's like five in the morning", groaned Nico.

"It's not. It's half past six", Will said it in a tone that made Nico feel stupid. "There has to be some convenient store somewhere that is open at this time"

"Nobody sane is awake at this time"

"I am. You saying I'm crazy?"

"Yes, totally. And now I'm going back to bed" Nico stood up from his chair and walked past Will towards the bedroom.

"Oh no, you don't" Will wrapped his arms around Nico, who yelped at being pulled back.

"The sun's awake, so I'm awake and I don't want to be awake alone", Will whispered into his ear and kissed him on the cheek.

"So you woke me up, just so you don't have to be alone?", asked Nico, as he turned around and faced his boyfriend. "Why didn't you just say that?"

"I didn't know that would change anything"

"It doesn't. I'm still going back to bed, but you can be awake somewhere else too, right?"

Will stared at him perplexed. "What?"

Nico just rolled his eyes, grabbed his arm and dragged him back towards the bedroom.

"Good night", was all he said, before pushing Will on the mattress and burrowing himself under the blanket.

"Umm, Nico..."

"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep"

Nico knew, Will was probably confused about what was going on, but he didn't really care. He was too tired to think clearly because Will woke him up way too early. So it was only fair to confuse him. Besides, he didn't think Will minded it too much. He heard Will sigh, before the mattress shifted a bit and Will's arm sneaked himself around Nico's waist. He mumbled something unintelligible, before closing his eyes and slowly falling back asleep.

* * *

"I hate you!", Will yelled, sprinting down the street towards the big iron gates.

"I didn't think you would fall asleep, too!", Nico yelled back.

"You forced me to!"

"You could have just left"

"Really?" Will stopped to turn around, Nico nearly slamming into him.

"Yeah, but you were obviously tired too or you wouldn't have fallen asleep"

"So it's my fault again?"

"I never said that"

Nico noticed, they were shouting at each other again. Since they left Camp Half-Blood yesterday morning, they had fought more than in their whole relationship. Was that what married couples felt?

"You know what, I'm sorry", Nico said, starting back up towards the iron gates of their new school.

He could hear Will's footsteps behind him, catching up fast. About ten meters away from the gates, he was walking next to him.

"Can I ask in a favor?"

Nico shrugged.

"Could we maybe not tell them that we are, you know, a thing?"

Will looked strangely unsure and scared. Nico was confused. He never planned on going around and announcing to everyone, that Will was his boyfriend but he didn't think, Will wanted to keep it a secret. Normally he would be the one to show affection in public.

"It's not that I'm ashamed of you or anything, but I made the experience that teenagers aren't exactly the nicest people on earth."

So that was it.

"Sure", Nico said. "Well then, let's go, we are already late"

The two boys walked the last few steps until they reached the iron gates, were a grumpy looking security guy stood.

"Who are you?", he barked, when they wanted to walk by him.

"New students?", Will said, but it sounded more like a question.

The security man eyed them warily, before nodding. But instead of letting them pass, he told them to follow him. Will looked at Nico questioningly, who just shrugged.

"Okay then, lead the way"

Security Guy huffed, but nearly speed-walked towards the school building.

"I think he doesn't like us", Will whispered to Nico, when they followed him.

"What gave you that idea?", Nico asked sarcastically.

Will scowled at him, but couldn't keep it up really long and started grinning.

"Could you speed up a little", barked Security Guy.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was a monster", muttered Will, glaring at the back of the man.

"Don't jinx it!"

They reached the front door of the school, Security Guy holding it open and ushering the two boys inside.

"The school office is the first door on the right, just down this corridor", he told them, motioning towards a hallway on the left.

Nico thanked the guy, even if he wasn't very friendly, and dragged Will down the empty hallway. He could feel the gaze of the man at the door lingering on his back, so he tried to get away from there as fast as possible. He didn't like it when people stared at him.

"That should be it", Will said, when they reached the door to the school office.

He raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open, before he could. A girl their age was standing there, obviously shocked to see them. She had short curly red hair and bright blue eyes, that weren't nearly s nice as Will's.

"Hi, there", Will said, waving his still raised hand.

"Umm...hi?" She looked them over. "Are you new? I haven't seen you around here."

"Yeah, we just wanted to sign in", Will explained.

The girl just nodded and stared at him. Nico frowned at that. He didn't like the look in her eyes.

"Umm, hello?", Will asked, waving her hand in front of her face.

When she didn't react he looked at Nico, with something close to panic. "Did I break her?"

Nico had to laugh at that. "She just zoned out"

"Oh, right. I forgot that that happens to mortals", Will mumbled.

After the war, most of the demigods started focusing on more than just one thing at the same time, so they stopped forgetting everything around them when thinking about something. Especially in a fight with a monster, it was essential for them. You zone out, you die. Easy as that.

Will poked the girl right between the eyes, startling her. She blinked and looked at them. "Oh, right. Go ahead"

She stepped out of the way, motioning for them to go trough the door. Just as they entered the small office, a gong sounded somewhere and the hall filled with chattering students.

"Miss Spacy, could you stay for a second?", a women, sitting behind a desk asked.

"Of course", the girl replied, stepping in and closing the door behind her, effectively shutting out the noise.

Will and Nico turned back towards the woman.

"Hi, you two must be the new students", she said, smiling brightly.

"Yeah", answered Will, locking a sigh out of the Spacy-girl.

Nico looked over. The girl was staring at Will dreamily. Oh. Not good, not good at all. With a frown he focused back on the conversation between his boyfriend and the office lady they were having about their names. She was young, with brown hair and green eyes, wearing a name tag identifying her as Maggie.

"Okay, then. Here are your schedules and your student Ids. You have to show them to our security guard when you want to enter. You can also take one of the brochures regarding our after school activities. Miss Spacey, would you be a darling and hand them one?"

The Spacey-girl nodded furiously, turning to a stand with different brochures regarding every aspect of life. She pulled out one from the highest branch and gave it to Will, smiling brightly. Will just nodded his thanks and passed the brochure to Nico, who spared it one glance, before looking back at the woman in front of him.

She wasn't there anymore. Nico frowned, were did she disappear to? In that moment she appeared from behind the desk, straightening and heaving a pile of books on the desk.

"These are yours too. They aren't in order, so you'll have to take the ones belonging to your subjects. Any questions?"

Nico was still staring at the mountain of books, but Will nodded.

The gong sounded again. Maggie frowned at a clock on the wall. "It would be better, if you go now. You already missed Homeroom and first lesson. Don't want you to be late for the next one, too"

She pulled two slips of paper out from under her desk.

"Get these filled in by your teachers today and hand them back to me tomorrow, when you have all. Miss Spacey will show you to class"

The two demigods nodded, taking their books and all the papers, before following Spacey-girl out the door. The hallway was empty again.

"It's so nice to get new students. I'm Gina, by the way", Spacey-girl, no Gina, said.

She started blabbering about good and bad teachers, which Nico droned out. Instead he balanced one half of the book mountain in his left arm, while trying to find out where his locker was, so that he could get rid of said mountain. Will was only listening with one ear too, looking around at the posters announcing a veggie day.

"Where are your lockers, anyway? I doubt you would want to walk around with the books all day"

"302 and 304", answered Will.

Nico looked at him confused.

"What? I actually listened to what that women said"

"Can you talk?"

Nico looked at Spacey-girl bewildered.

"Well, you haven't said anything yet, so I wondered. Not that I would treat you any less than your brother...", Spacey-girl trailed of at the look on Nico's face.

"First of all, I can speak and second, Will and I are not related", Nico told her with a glare.

Spacey-girl gulped, but nodded. "So, your lockers?"

* * *

Ten minutes later Spacey-girl and Nico arrived at their class. Apparently they had English Literature together, while Will was in a Maths class.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ironfence is a really nice teacher. Just don't make any jokes about his name, or you'll get detention"

Nico never planned on that anyway. Sure, Ironfence was a bit of a strange name, but Nico wasn't one to judge. His last name translated into 'the angel', which was more than ironic, seeing as Nico was as far from being an angel as it gets.

Spacey-girl knocked on the door and a friendly voice answered. "Come in!"

"Morning, Mr. Ironfence, sorry for being late, but I just showed Nico here to his class. He's a new student."

Mr. Ironfence nodded at her and then smiled at Nico. Spacey-girl made her way towards the back of class, where two seats were free.

"So, Nico, you want to tell us something about you?"

"Not really"

Some of the kids in the room snickered at Mr. Ironfence's expression. Spacey-girl raised an eyebrow.

"Well then, Mr. ..."

"Di Angelo"

"... take a seat"

Nico just nodded and proceeded to the back of the room, stepping over the outstretched leg of a buff kid in a letterman jacket and ignoring all the stares in the room. Mr. Ironfence started talking about some symbols and metaphors in a book they were currently reading.

Nico let his gaze wander over the room. In the front row sat two girls and two boys, all of them either reading in the book or taking notes. Behind them sat the letterman guy, talking to a blonde girl who was playing with her pencil, while listening to the teacher and the boy simultaneously. The girl next to her had red hair, scribbling around on her paper. The last kid in the row had curly black hair and was texting under the table. The row behind them consisted of two girls, chatting with each other and a guy in the row behind them, and another boy in a letterman, writing down the important things of what the teacher was saying. Next to him was a girl, looking younger than the rest, staring out the window. A dark skinned boy sat next to Nico, with Spacey-girl on the other side, who was trying to catch his attention. Finally she resorted to throwing little bits of paper at him.

"I think she wants to talk to you", Nico supplied and the boy looked up shocked. Then he looked at Spacey-girl, who was looking annoyed.

"What is it, Gina?"

Spacey-girl started grinning.

"You won't believe what happened earlier", she whispered, loud enough for Nico to hear.

"Can't this wait until after the lesson, I'm trying to listen."

"But, Andy-"

"No buts. I actually find this interesting"

"So I'm not or what?"

"Miss Spacey, Mr. Hale, could you please quit talking and listen"

Andy, or whatever his name was, glared at Spacey-girl and turned back to the teacher. Nico decided to do the same and focused back on the teacher. He had no idea which book he was talking about.

"It's 'To kill a Mockingbird'", said a voice in front of him.

Nico looked up from drawing things on the table with his fingers, which he didn't realize he was doing. It was the younger girl, who before was looking out the window. She had Asian Features, with long dark hair and dark eyes.

"What?"

"The book. It's 'To kill a Mockingbird'. You looked, like you didn't knew which one we were reading."

The girl smiled at him. Nico was surprised and a bit angry. How did she manage to read him like that?

"You should probably get a copy. We will write a test about it on Friday"

"Thanks"

"No problem" With that the girl turned back around and proceeded to stare out the window.

Nico quickly scribbled the name of the book on the corner of his sheet of paper, so that he didn't forget it. The next few minutes went by in a rush and soon the gong sounded again. Before he knew what happened, Spacey-girl stood in front of Nico's seat.

"How about we pick up your friend and then I show you two to your next class?"

Before Nico could answer, she pulled him out of his seat and dragged him to the front. Mr. Ironfence signed his paper and Spacey-girl grabbed his arm again. Nico freed himself and rubbed his arm. Spacey-girl had a strong grip.


	4. Paul learns the worst cuss word

**Chapter 4**

They found Will in front of his classroom, squinting at his schedule.

"Hey, Will!", Spacey-girl called, prompting Nico to look annoyed.

Will looked up and started smiling, when he saw the two of them. Spacey-girl next to Nico instantly smiled brighter.

"What do you have next?", she asked, looking at Will with the same look as before in the office. A lot of the girls around them had the same look in their eyes, Nico noted grumpily.

"Chemistry and you Nico?"

"Me too. Let's go!"

"Bye, Gina", Will said and he followed the son of Hades down the hall.

Gina was left standing dumbstruck in the hall.

"She is so annoying", grumbled Nico, when they stepped through a door and out of the building.

"What did she do to piss you off?", Will laughed.

Nico scowled at him and kicked a stone out of the way. It slammed into a poster stand, knocking it over. Two older guys lounging near it on the lawn raised an eyebrow at him.

"You don't have to talk about it, you know. I was just curious"

They passed a sign saying, 'Science' pointing upstairs. Nico didn't say anything, just started climbing the stairs going towards the Science Building.

The Science Building wasn't really a own building but the upper floor of the main building. The main building was built like a giant 'L', with the shorter part being the Art Building on the ground floor, the Science Building on the upper floor and the Music Building in the basement. The rest of the subjects were in the longer part of the 'L', called the Main Building. Technically there was a way from the Main Building to the Science Building without going outside, but this way it was shorter and it was nice weather. They learned all this from Spacey-girl when she told them about everything before their class.

They did indeed reach the room after only a minute or two of walking. The teacher, a young woman of about 26, was already there, shuffling around a stack of papers and looking up surprised when they entered.

"Hi, we are new students. Will Solace and Nico di Angelo", Will said.

The woman just stared at them for a second, before nodding. She looked around for a second, making sure, they were completely alone before saying: "Are you two demigods?"

"What?", Will asked confused.

"Are you the cloud nymph working here?", Nico asked at the same time.

Will looked at him now. "What?"

"Yes, that's me. Miss Orleen. Chiron told me there were demigods coming and that I should keep an eye on you in case you got in trouble."

"What?"

"Yeah, he told us that too. We're just gonna sit down now"

"Okay, the other students should be here in a few"

Will was still looking completely confused, head swiveling between Nico and Miss Orleen trying to figure out what was going on. Nico grinned at that.

"What just happened?", the son of Apollo asked as soon as the were sat at one of the tables.

Miss Orleen was back to shuffling papers.

"Didn't you listen? She is a cloud nymph, working here"

"Yeah, but when did Chiron tell us that?"

"Yesterday. It was written in the letter I found on the table."

"You never told me about it"

"I was going to, but then you threw that concealer ball and later I was mad at you"

Will opened his mouth to say something, when the gong interrupted him. They didn't notice the room filling up with other kids. Miss Orleen now stood in front of her desk catching everyone's attention.

"Maybe you have noticed, that we have two new students. Say 'hello'"

A chorus of 'Hello's filled the room.

"In the last lesson we started talking about the pH value of acids and bases. Today I want you to partner up with one or two other students and then we will make our own pH scale. For this you will get a worksheet and different acids and bases and an indicator to measure the pH value. Please read he instructions and work carefully, those substances are quite dangerous. Go to work"

Immediately the kids shuffled around the room, either trying to get their friends as partners or the good kids.

"I'm good at chemistry, I think. Wanna partner up?"

"How are you good at chemistry?"

"I helped out in the Hecate Cabin a few times. They mix together some stuff, just like chemistry"

"That's not the same."

"Be a spoilsport, don't you"

Will pouted. Nico rolled his eyes. Both burst out laughing. It was still the same as always. Except, that Will didn't kiss him, like he normally did. Miss Orleen put down two worksheets in front of them, gave them a wink and went over to the next pair.

"Hey, guys, do you have place for another partner?", a shy voice came from the front of their table.

There stood a small boy, with longish brown hair and hazel eyes, holding a sheet of paper and looking nervous.

"Sure", Will, ever the people's person, said and motioned to Nico to scoot over.

Nico dragged his chair to the side, giving the boy space to sit.

"I'm Paul.", the boy said, while sitting down.

"I'm Will that's Nico, he's boring. I doubt you'd want to hang out with him"

Nico gaped at him. He didn't just say that. Judging by the smug look on Will's face, whatever he did worked.

"I doubt you'd want to hang out with him either. He is stupid enough to think potions is the same as chemistry"

Will's smug look fell of his face. He narrowed his eyes. The game has just begun.

"At least I don't look like Snape as a kid"

"That's harsh", muttered Paul, who was watching them with big eyes. Nico ignored him.

"At least I'm not afraid of flies"

"What? Flies?"

"If you tell him about the flies I will tell him about Albania"

"So you wanna go down that road?"

"Yeah."

"Ok then. You say a word about Albania, I tell him all about your date with Lacy"

"You wouldn't dare"

"Try me"

They now had a glaring contest, half the class watching.

"Umm, guys?", Paul asked shyly. They ignored him.

"Idiot", muttered Nico.

"Loser", Will snapped right back.

"Seriously? You have to do better than that"

"Anemic Loser"

"That's not better"

"Octavian"

Now Will looked smug, half the class wondered what was so bad about it. One guy, with a dog named like that, was offended. Nico looked horrified.

"What did you just call me?"

"Octavian. You said, I needed better curse words. That's the worst I know."

"Yeah, but, you can't just call me that"

Will shrugged. "You just can't stand to lose"

Nico narrowed his eyes. "That's not true"

"Yes it is. You remember that one time we played 'Capture the Flag' and your team lost?"

"That was like five years ago! Besides that was Thalia and Percy, not me."

"Wait you telling me, you have never played since then?"

"'Course I have. I just never lost" Now Nico looked smug."Wait. Did you just say that without proof?"

"Well, it's not my fault, you never lose 'Capture the Flag'. How am I even supposed to keep track of every single game?"

"So you just said something without proof."

"I guess?"

"Who's the Octavian now?"

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing.

"You are weird", concluded Paul.

They abruptly stopped, noticing the stare of everyone in the room on them. Miss Orleens cleared her throat. "Paul, how about you get yourself new partners and you two come back for detention this afternoon? Now out of the room. I don't need anymore interruptions today. The rest of you go back to work."

Nico felt embarrassment creep into his cheeks, tinting them red. As fast as they could they left the room. Once in the hallway Will grabbed Nico's hand, pulling him into a janitor's closet. It was small, but had a nearly as small window, which Will opened to let air in. The fresh stream of air, let Nico relaxed and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"A closet, really?"

He didn't get an answer. Instead Will pressed his lips on Nico's, effectively taking away his breath again. They kissed for what felt like eternity, Nico crossing his arms behind Will's neck, pulling him closer. Sometime later they ran out of air and pulled away from each other. Will leaned his forehead against Nico's, wrapping his arms around him.

"What is wrong with us?", he whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Since we are on this trip we are constantly fighting. Maybe Chicago is bad luck and we should have gone to that town in Colorado."

Nico closed his eyes, thinking about it. Suddenly something Chiron told them two days ago came to his mind. _The concealer balls need a power source. This is emotional power, so they will suck something out of you. If you discover what it is, work on building it back up and it should work, while you won't have problems._

"It's our patience.", he said, opening his eyes again.

"Huh?"

"Remember what Chiron said about the power source of the concealer balls?" Nico could feel Will nodding. "It sucks the patience right out of us. And because there are three of them around us all the time, we get pissed at each other a lot faster"

"So we have to stay calm when around each other and just get the patience working again?"

"Yeah"

They just stood there in silence for a while.

"You wanna go somewhere else?", Nico asked.

"Probably better"

* * *

They found the library about ten minutes later, confusing the librarian.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have school?"

"We kinda got kicked out", said Will, blushing a bit.

"So you want to read about what you are missing. This is really responsible, you know? There aren't many teenagers anymore doing that."

"Yeah, that's exactly what we were doing", Will flashed her a smile. "Come on, Nico, let's find some chemistry books."

The two disappeared into the science section, sitting down at one of the tables there.

"We aren't seriously doing anything, are we?", Nico asked, looking at all the books with a horrified look.

"Keep up the charade and we are on the librarians good side. It's always good to be on the librarians good side.", Will said, pulling out a couple chemistry books and laying them out on the table.

Then he disappeared into a section labeled 'Psucholigo' or something along the lines. The librarian chose that moment, to come around the corner.

"Do you need anything?"

Nico was tempted to shake his head, but then he remembered the homework for Literature class.

"You don't happen to have 'To kill a Mockingbird'?"

The Librarians smile got even wider, so that Nico wondered, if her face hurt from all the stretching. "Of course! It is so nice, that some teenagers are still interested in good books."

With that she practically ran of.

"What was that about?"

"I just asked her if she had a copy of some book we're reading in class"

"Wait, _you_ want to read?"

Nico glared at him again, before realizing what he was doing. Now he was trying to calm himself down. Ugh, having a shitty patience sucked.

"Anyway. I just found this in the Psychology section." Will put a book down on the table. Nico leaned forwards to get a better look at the title.

"'How to get a better patience'?"

"Yeah. Won't harm to try, right?"

"Except for the reading part", Nico pointed out.

"You are quite pessimistic, aren't you?"

Nico shrugged.

The librarian came running back around the corner holding a tattered copy of a small book.

"Here you go. If you have any questions, I'm right here" She laid the book on the table, before returning to wherever she came from.

Nico picked up the book. The cover was faded, the title nearly invisible and the pages were yellow. Nico had the feeling it would fall apart upon opening.

"Could you set that on the shopping list?", he asked Will, who was frowning at the first page of his book.

"It's in the bag", he muttered, not taking his eyes away from the letters.

Nico reached over and pulled Will's blue backpack towards him.

"Why do you have a first aid kit in there?"

"For first aid, duh"

Nico pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of the bag laying it on the table. He also found a pencil in the bag, acting as a bookmark for Will's math book. He scribbled the title of the book on the paper, folded it carefully and put it on top of the first aid kit.

* * *

A gong sounded, interrupting the two boys. Nico looked up from where he had written down a few words to the relationship between Scout and Boo Radley. Will was still engrossed in his book, currently on page seven. He looked up, when he felt Nico's gaze on him.

"What?"

"Nothing. You wanna grab some lunch?"

At the mention of food Nico's stomach rumbles. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon and he was craving food.

"Lunch sounds good"

They packed up their books, Nico bringing back 'To kill a Mockingbird' and Will checking out his Patience book. In the hallway they stumbled into Paul, who was nearly dropping his books, he was that surprised.

"Oh, hey guys. You calmed down?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. You had fun afterwards?" , Will asked.

Paul shrugged a bit, but didn't elaborate.

"Miss Orleen said, that you have to do some of the stuff in detention today. And she wants to speak to you after lunch.", he told them instead.

"Okay. So, you know were the cafeteria is?"

Paul perked up at that. "Sure, follow me"

Paul steadied his books and started towards the door, leading out on the lawn. The cafeteria was in an extra building across the lawn, with tables outside, slowly filling with students. Paul opened the door, holding it open for the other two and following them inside. About a third of the tables were already filled, a long queue going straight through the room. The boys fell in line behind a group of girls, younger than them and giggling about something.

"We aren't keeping you from your friends, or anything, right?", Will asked.

Paul went stiff for a second, before shaking his head. Nico gave Will a look, that clearly said _Drop it_.

Will realizing his mistake, wanted to apologize, but Paul beat him to it.

"You couldn't have known." He stared at the floor, shuffling his feet.

Will looked at Nico. _What should we do?_

_Dunno. I'm not a people's person._

_Yeah, but we can't just leave him on his own. You know I don't do that._

_I have noticed._

_Don't worry, I'm not going to date him._

Nico snorted at that and turned back to Paul, who was staring at them.

"What?"

"Nothing, you just did … that. You're a bit crazy"

"Thank the gods or we probably would have died a long time ago", Nico muttered under his breath and turned around to look, how long the queue was and how long they would have to wait for something to eat.

"Will!", a girly voice called out.

Nico groaned. Not her again. Spacey-girl arrived, with Andy and another girl in tow.

"Oh, hey Gina", Will said, not sounding too happy about it. Nico grinned, still facing the other way.

"You wanna sit with us?", Spacey-girl asked.

"Sure", Will still wasn't as enthusiastic as normally. Nico was nearly laughing now.

"Are you okay, Nico?", asked Andy.

Nico turned towards him.

"I'm good.", he said, barely holding in laughter. "Just perfect."


	5. Mormo challenges Santa Claus

**Chapter 5**

When they finally reached the end of the queue, Nico's mood changed drastically.

The food looked like a meal chewed through by the Lydian Drakon.

"Looks yummy", said Will stepping next to him.

"It looks always like that. But trust me, it tastes really good.", Spacey-girl said, sneaking her arm around Will's waist.

Nico nearly growled at that, but got control over his emotions fast enough. Paul gave him a weird glance, but Nico tried to ignore him.

Finally the last student in front of him turned away and Nico was finally able to grab a tray and get food on his plate. He waited for Will and the others to get their food too.

"So, we sit over there.", Andy said, nodding his head to a table in the corner, were already two other boys sat.

"Come on", Spacey-girl smiled and pulled Will over.

The son of Apollo spun them both around. "Come on, Neeks!" Spacey-girl let out a squeak at being spun around again. Nico nearly laughed again. His emotions were definitely strange today. He blamed it all on the concealer balls.

"Come on, Paul", Nico said. Paul spluttered, but followed him anyway. The two boys stared at Paul and Nico strangely, but said 'hello' to -girl pulled Will down next to her, still looking a bit disgruntled. Will finally pulled away from Spacey-girl, focusing back on his boyfriend.

"We didn't got to finish our conversation earlier."

"You mean the one, were you made faces at each other?", Paul asked.

"Yep. But somebody", cue glare at Nico "decided to stop it. I wasn't finished"

"Yeah, but Paul felt left out", Nico said, facing the stuff on his plate.

"You sure this is edible?", he asked Andy. Andy nodded, his mouth full.

Suddenly something kicked against his leg. Nico glanced over at Will, who was pointedly glancing at the door.

"In a second. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon."

"Well I did ask you if you wanted something last night."

"Our fridge is empty. That's the reason you woke me up at six. And we still don't have anything"

"Yeah, whose fault is that?"

"Are you two going to shout at each other again?", asked Paul.

Nico just realized were they actually where. Paul was calmly eating his lunch, Andy and the nameless kids were looking confused. Spacey-girl was looking scandalized.

"Boys, calm down. Nico, I supposed you have to apologize to him", she said.

Will shook his head furiously, prompting her to shut up. Nico just glared at her. Why did she have to interfere? It has nothing to do with her at all. She didn't even know them, so why did she think she was allowed to tell them what to do?

"Nico", hissed Will. Nico looked up from where he was glaring at his food.

"What?"

Nico realized the moment he spoke that word, what Will's problem was. It was freezing. He was able to see his breath, the other kids on the table were shuddering and all around the room voices became loud, complaining about the air conditioning. Nico didn't even know, he could do that.

"We will go see Miss Orleen now.", Will said, pulling Nico up and away from the others. As soon as they were outside, on their way to the cloud nymph, the temperature went back to normal.

"I'm sorry", muttered Nico.

Will looked pissed. "I can't believe she said that. I can't believe she does anything of what she does."

"Wait, what?"

"I can't blame you for being pissed at her, but next time keep the temperature drop to a minimum."

"Well, she is annoying"

"Yeah, she is."

"Let's just forget what happened. Now, we bring the rest of the day behind us and we can buy something really good to eat."

* * *

The day went by in a blur, which was strange seeing as the first half of the day felt like eternity. After Maths and PE, Nico finally sat in Detention, a bunch of chemical stuff in front of him. Will was trying to decipher the worksheet. Some other kids were there too, one of them was even in PE with them. That guy was tall and black haired, having watery blue eyes. The teacher in charge told them to make their work, but they were able to talk to each other. He watched the students in the room, eyes flickering all so often to the two demigods in the last row.

The boy from PE packed his stuff and moved to the table in front of them.

"Hey", he said, staring at Nico.

Nico frowned, but nodded a 'Hello'.

"You're pretty fast"

"Thanks"

Will looked up now, scowled and busied himself with the indicator. The boy opened his mouth again to say something, but Will beat him to it. "We have to do this now, sorry"

"Oh, okay. Sure"

The boy turned around.

"Let's do this. The earlier we finish, the faster we can buy something to eat." Food sounded good.

Nico focused on the test tubes in front of him, filled with hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide solution and ammonia. All solved in water. There was also a bottle with indicator and some stopper to put on the testing tubes.

"This is gonna be just like potions", grinned Will.

He took some indicator with a pipette and dribbled it into the hydrochloric acid. Instantly the whole thing turned a scarlet red. Nico raised an eyebrow. This was actually quite cool.

Will looked at their worksheet, having to lift his protective goggles, to see anything.

"So, HCl has a pH value of 1, meaning, the red gets a 1, right?" Will motioned to a colored chart on the paper, where they had to fill in the pH values of the substances. Nico nodded, putting the stopper on the test tube and back in the test tube holder.

They worked silently, finishing the work in minutes.

When they asked the teacher, whether they were able to leave, he allowed it. A strange glint appearing in his eyes, that unsettled Nico. Somehow he knew it. He brushed it off, he was getting paranoid.

Nico packed up his stuff, taking the test tubes filled with red, green and blue substances, and left the room. Will was behind him, holding the indicator and the worksheet. They were rounding the corner, walking towards the door, leading outside, when they heard footsteps behind them. Nico's first instinct was to grab his sword and to kill whatever followed them, but he told himself to stay calm. This was a school. It was completely normal for people to walk around. Nonetheless, something felt strange. Will held his indicator tighter, his left hand flitting towards his jacket pocket. So he noticed it too.

Nico opened the door with his elbow, using the opportunity to look back. The teacher from detention was walking down the corridor, heading straight for them. Even though he was about 20 meters away, Nico could see the same glint in his eyes as before. And suddenly it hit him. He knew that look, better than he wanted.

The son of Hades turned towards the lawn, where Will was walking and then back to the monster in the hallway. The teacher sped up, probably noticing, that Nico knew who he was.

"Shit", muttered the demigod, stepping out the door and running after Will.

"We have to get out of here", he yelled, as he reached his boyfriend, who was now looking confused.

In that moment the monster came crashing through the door. He looked different from just a few seconds ago. His skin was white and wrinkled, the jeans and dress shirt turning into a black robe, that brushed the grass. His former brown eyes turned a dark shade of red and when he opened his mouth, he showed a pair of long fangs instead of the normal row of teeth.

"You have been naughty kids. Time to be punished" The monster cackled and charged at them.

The two demigods broke into a run, sprinting down the lawn towards a forest of some sort. Probably a park. Fast the schoolbags and chemicals found their way on the floor, making it easier to run.

"We have to split up!", yelled Will.

Nico nodded, risking a glance over his shoulder. The monster was gaining ground on them fast, about fifteen meters now.

"I have a plan", Nico yelled towards Will, who by now nearly reached the edge of the forest.

"What is it?"

"We are going to confuse him. It will be harder to find us in the forest, if we leave trails everywhere." Now Nico was in the forest too, tripping over roots. "And if it keeps that speed up it's gonna crash soon, might be easier to defeat it."

Will nodded and charged right, deeper into the forest. Nico went straight ahead, the monster still following him. It was catching up faster now, Nico could hear its breath behind him. Abruptly Nico stopped and sidestepped, prompting the monster to run headfirst into a tree. In an instant Nico was away from there, running through a couple of bushes, leaving scratches on his arms. A drop of blood landed on the ground, before Nico changed direction abruptly and ran to the left.

Circling largely around the monster, he returned back to the crashing site, hiding behind a bush and making sure, he wasn't loosing any blood anymore. The monster was slowly recovering from the run-in, stalking around the bushes trough which Nico fled earlier.

Quietly Nico unsheathed his sword, which before was hidden trough the mist.

"I can smell your blood, demigod", the monster snarled.

Nico froze, trying hard not to be noticed. But the monster dashed trough the bushes, following the trail Nico had laid out. He let loose the breath, he was holding. Before Nico could confuse the monster more by running of in a different direction however, Will appeared in front of him. He looked shocked when he saw him, his arm oozing a bit of blood.

"What are you doing here?", Nico hissed.

"Laying out the trails. What are you doing here?" Will's eyes widened. "Wait, you did the same. So he's gonna show up here any second."

Nico could only nod, his eyes trained on something behind the son of Apollo.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?"

Nico nodded again. Their plan didn't work. They weren't able to confuse the monster, making it easier for them to kill it. No, it did not only not work, it also backfired quite spectacularly because they crossed their trails.

The monster opened its mouth, baring its fangs. It was obvious he was aiming for Will's neck, like some kind of vampire. It's arms wrapping around Will, holding him in his place, making it hard for the boy to move. Nico wouldn't be able to do anything to the monster this way, not while he used his boyfriend as a human shield. Will himself looked panicked, his hands trembling. Nico's gaze fluttered from the monster to Will's eyes, giving him a reassuring look.

The monster leaned in, ready to bite. Will shut his eyes tight, not able fight the monster. Nico could feel the shadows of the trees around him shifting forms, reacting to his panic. Of course, the shadows!

The next thing Nico knew, he was in the realm of shadows, moving as fast as wind. He stepped out behind the monster, who was startled to see the demigod vanish before his eyes. Nico swung his sword, aiming at the neck of the creature. But he underestimated its speed.

The monster pushed Will away from him, whirling around, the blade missing by millimeters. The monster slammed Nico against the nearest tree, the force of the impact knocking the sword out of his hands. He tried to get away from the tree, but the monster held him there.

"You can't defeat me this easily." The monster cocked his head to the side. "You are more powerful than I thought, though." It took in a deep breath. "Slowly your scent get's stronger. This is strange, alright."

Nico struggled against the monster's hold, but the arm wouldn't budge. Behind the monster Will got back up, picking up the dagger he dropped. The monster was completely focused on Nico, ignoring the son of Apollo altogether. Nico decided they needed more time.

"Who are you, anyway?"

The monster looked stunned. "But...but I am Mormo...everyone fears me!"

"Never heard of a Mormo"

"Mormo! The monster every naughty kid fears to come after them."

"I think what naughty kids nowadays are the most afraid of is Santa Claus not bringing them presents."

"Santa Claus?!"

Nico nodded gravely.

"But...but...I need to find this Santa Claus! I am the only one who is allowed to invoke fear in naughty kids! Santa Claus will perish!" Mormo was nodding his head, obviously deep in thought.

Will edged closer, dagger raised.

"How about you go after him, right now?"

"Good idea! But first you have to be punished, son of Hades!"

Nico gulped, this was not good. Mormo smiled evilly, licking his lips.

"Nico di Angelo", he said slowly, making Nico wonder how he knew his name. "You have done some really naughty things."

"This sounds kind of wrong"

Mormo ignored him. "I will enjoy this really much."

Mormo bared his fangs, leaning closer. Nico shot Will a look. _Now would be really good._

Will swung the dagger, making a deep gash into Mormo's back.

"Gah!", cried the monster, releasing Nico.

Will sprinted off, Nico running behind him. That wasn't going to keep Mormo off their back for long.

Somehow they stumbled back onto the lawn behind the school. Their schoolbags were still laying in the grass, the test tubes next to them.

"Shouldn't you thank me for saving you?", Will asked, dropping in the grass, panting.

"Saved you first"

Will let out a laugh, but got a serious expression right after. "You don't have a weapon anymore"

Nico frowned. That was going to be a problem.

His gaze dropped and landed on the red colored hydrochloric acid. A smile spread on his face.

"That smile is creeping me out"

"Shut up"

"No, but seriously, what should we do?"

"I have an idea"

Will followed Nico's gaze. "I know, that is corrosive and all but I doubt it would kill him."

Nico nodded and held up the test tube. "Probably not, but we don't need to kill. We just need to distract him"

Mormo chose that moment to come barreling through the trees. Will jumped up, clutching the dagger and positioned himself in front of Nico.

"Will Solace, you have been naughty, too"

Will just growled, while Nico stood up, too.

"But first, son of Apollo, step out of the way. I will deal with your friend first"

Will smirked. "Whatever you want"

He jumped to the left, making way for Nico to throw the test tube.

The tube slammed right into Mormo's chest and broke on impact, the red liquid splashing all over his upper body. Mormo stared at it in surprise, before he started to scream. He jumped around, wailing in dismay, bits of yellow dust flying to the ground.

Nico took Will's dagger, throwing it at Mormo. The bronze dagger impaled himself in Mormo's chest, where earlier the test tube hit. Together with the acid it was enough to get Mormo dropping on the ground, still screaming.

Will grabbed their bags and then dragged Nico back into the woods.

Finally Mormo stopped screaming, exploding into yellow dust, being swept away by the wind.


	6. Paul loves love

**Chapter 6**

The way they just killed Mormo was a bit cruel.

Nico tried to tell himself, he had it coming, Mormo did nearly kill his boyfriend after all, but he still felt bad.

Will threw his arm over Nico's shoulder and pulled him close. They had left the forest on the other end after recovering Nico's Stygian Iron sword which was now hanging at his side again. Now they were walking down a bustling street.

"How about we finally get something to eat?", he asked.

Nico instantly perked up. He craved food by now.

They stopped at a stand selling pretzels. Nico devoured his in about thirty seconds.

"You know, that this is unhealthy?", asked Will, just having taken two bites.

Nico rolled his eyes. Of course he knew that. He was just hungry as hell.

They passed a bookstore, which probably sold 'To kill a Mockingbird'. Will saw Nico looking at it.

"You wanna go in?"

"If it's okay with you"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Nico shrugged, just pulling his boyfriend into the store.

* * *

Two hours later a delicious meal was cooking on the stove.

After the bookstore they found a convenient store, where they bought a weeks worth of food, which they then had to drag through Chicago, getting lost in the process. By the time they reached their apartment building Nico was so tired, he contemplated taking the elevator. In the end only the food and Will took the elevator, Nico dragged himself up the stairs, nearly collapsing on the couch. Running around in the forest and dragging two heavy bags trough the streets of Chicago weren't the most relaxing activities.

Will on the other hand was still that annoying ball of activity, having it taken upon himself to cook. Nico didn't know what it was and frankly, he didn't care. He would eat about anything by now. The pretzel earlier could only do so much to still his hunger.

Will appeared next to Nico. He held a bit of Ambrosia in his hand.

"What is that for?", mumbled Nico.

"Your arms are scratched and you have a cut on your forehead. There are also a few bruises on your back."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm a son of Apollo, remember?" He handed Nico the Ambrosia, who took it and put it in his mouth. Instantly warmth filled him, spreading into every corner of his body.

"I'm curious, what does it takes like?"

Nico frowned. "What do you mean? Ambrosia takes like Ambrosia"

"Um, no it doesn't. For every demigod it's different. For me it is the pudding my Mom makes, Delicious. So, what is it for you?"

Nico was stunned. He didn't know that. Now he tried hard to think what the godly food tasted to him. After a minute he came up with nothing. "I don't know. It just tastes really delicious."

Will stared him. "I guess, that decides it"

"Decides what?"

"We are going out to eat tomorrow. Find out what it is"

"Wait, like a date?"

"Yeah. Our first date wasn't exactly what I would call good" Will laughed and even Nico had to chuckle at the memory of that. "So, we could a have a second one."

"A second first date?"

Will nodded again and then blushed. "I wanted to ask you anyway, now I have a valid reason"

Nico blushed a bit too. He sat up, pulling Will down on the couch.

"So, you want to go out with me?", Will asked, looking a bit nervous. Nico laughed and kissed him lightly on the lips. "So, that a yes?", Will asked, blushing.

Nico laughed even more and nodded.

A bit later they sat at the table, enjoying pasta.

"You know, it could be everything", Nico said, referring to the Ambrosia-dilemma.

"Not really"

Nico looked up, surprised. "Huh?"

Will lay down his spoon, having the need to elaborate.

"Well, you don't know what it is, right?"

Nico nodded slowly.

"Ambrosia can only taste like something you have eaten before. It could be something you don't remember eating, but you did. The only reason you don't know what it is is obviously, that you forgot it."

Here Will made a pause, looking at Nico, who slowly started to understand.

"You mean, I ate that before my dad wiped my memories?"

Will grinned and nodded.

"That still could be anything"

"Still not really. It's probably something you ate on more than one occasion, meaning it was probably your mother that cooked it. Don't give me that look, you know it is true. In the 1930s it was still common for the woman to cook for her family. Anyway, your mom was Italian, so how high is the probability for it to be something Italian?"

Nico stared at him. "When did you think about all that?"

"Shortly after you told me"

"So we're going out to eat something Italian?"

"Yes."

"You know, I can cook that too, right?"

"The thing about dates is to go out.", Will explained, making Nico roll his eyes. "But you can still cook, whenever you want"

"We are getting really domestic here, aren't we?"

"I don't really have anything against it", Will told him honestly.

Nico thought about it for a bit, too. "I don't really do either"

They were left in comfortable silence. Will picked his spoon back up and Nico poked around in his pasta.

Nico started thinking about what happened today. The morning felt like years ago, not only twelve hours. He blushed a bit, when thinking about this early morning, when he was so tired, he didn't even think about sharing a bed with Will. And what happened in chemistry was really embarrassing, not to mention being kicked out on the first day. Finally his thoughts wandered to Mormo. Normally it should have been easy to take him out, but he didn't want to fight on the school grounds. So confusing him and getting him away from Will in the forest sounded like a good plan in his head. Sadly that backfired spectacularly and nearly got Will killed. He could clearly remember the fear at that moment. He wasn't scared of the monster, he had faced some more terrifying creatures, but of losing Will. He didn't know what he would do, when he lost someone else he loved.

"Are you okay?"

Nico nodded, not looking up. He shoved a forkful of noodles in his mouth, making it clear, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay, then" Then Will yawned. "Pretty intense day today, huh? I hope it will be a bit more calm tomorrow"

Nico snorted, nearly choking on his food. They never had a calm day.

"You might want to chew", Will advised calmly, laying his cutlery down. Nico swallowed his bite and took a sip of water.

"I'm really tired. What do you say, we put the stuff in the dishwasher and head to bed?"

"Can I finish first?"

"Sure thing, sunshine", Will said, leaning back.

"Don't call me that", grumbled Nico.

"Why not?"

"'Cause it's the most unfitting nickname you could ever give me. Plus, I hate nicknames"

"I could call you Cutie Pie."

Nico looked horrified. Will started laughing. Nico glared at him. Will leaned over the table and planted a kiss on Nico's lips.

"You finished yet?"

Nico nodded. Will smiled, grabbing both their plates and placed them in the dishwasher. Nico stood up, cleaning up the rest of the table.

"Can we go to sleep now?", he asked, when they were finished.

"Sure thing, Cutie Pie"

* * *

The next morning both were a bit grumpy, neither of them getting much sleep. Nico because of some nightmare, Will because he fell out of the bed a few times and got kicked or punched even more often. He had considered sleeping on the couch, but didn't want to leave Nico on his own. Nico felt sorry for punching Will and leaving a bruise on his arm. In the end, they stayed awake half the night, telling each other stories.

On their way to school, the bumped into Gina, which didn't help improve Nico's mood. He excused himself, as soon as they reached the iron gates and went to find Paul.

The boy was hanging out near the library, where they bumped into him yesterday.

"Hey Paul, sorry for leaving you alone yesterday", Nico greeted, startling the kid.

"Oh, hey Nico. Where's your boyfriend?"

Nico started to answer, when he noticed something. "What? We are not together"

It felt wrong saying that.

Paul gave him a look that clearly said _Who are you kidding?_

"Okay fine, we are together. How did you find out?"

"Partly you getting jealous of Gina Spacey, but I only noticed that in the queue for a split second. Then a bit in the way you interact with each other. The biggest clue however is how you look at each other. I wasn't sure if you were together, or just liked each other, so I tested you. You're obviously used to people calling him your boyfriend, so that was the proof I needed.", Paul smiled, obviously proud of himself. "I don't think anybody else noticed, though."

Nico stared at him open mouthed for a second, before snapping it shut. "You..you're smart. Am I really that easy to read?"

Paul shook his head.

"Not really, took me a whole evening to figure it out." He looked around. "Anyway, where is Will?"

"Spacey-girl kidnapped him"

"Spacey-girl? Oh, you mean Gina Spacey!"

At Nico's nod, Paul continued: "We could go search for them if you want."

"Nah, I'm fine here"

"Are you having troubles? How long have you been together?"

"You are quite nosy, aren't you?"

Paul blushed a bright pink.

"Sorry, old habit I guess. A friend of mine used to be really interested in love and all that stuff"

"What happened?"

Paul shrugged. "Went to a summer camp last summer, never came back. I really miss her sometimes"

So he was friends with a daughter of Aphrodite. Interesting.

"You look like you know what happened"

"Could be. Was that camp on Long Island, New York?"

Paul looked surprised. "How..how do you know?"

"Just a hunch. Her first year there?"

"Er, no. Third time, why?"

Okay, that wasn't good. How high was the possibility, that the daughter of Aphrodite died in the Giant War?

"What was her name?"

"Why do you talk in past tense? You know something I don't, right?"

"Just answer the question, please"

"Marianne Forster. We call her Mary"

Nico rattled down all of the names of the children of Aphrodite he could remember who weren't dead. Mary, Mary, Mary! She was alive.

"Now you're smiling. What is going on?"

"Mary's fine. Still living in the camp, next time I come by there I will tell her to visit you"

"Wait, you know Mary?"

Nico nodded. The gong sounded, signaling the start of Homeroom.

"Let's talk about it later. See you" Nico nearly sprinted of, not wanting to talk to much about it right now.

* * *

Their teacher was a perky young woman, talking about the weather with some of her students and about the new designer shop down the road with others. After making a few announcements first.

Nico had told Will everything that happened with Paul, including Mary Foster. Will was now writing a letter to her, which he was going to send via Hermes Express after this class.

Suddenly the teacher appeared in front of him.

"You weren't here yesterday, so you don't know it yet.", she told them.

Nico got a bad feeling.

"We have a Parents Evening tomorrow at six o'clock and I would be very happy if your parents could come."

Nico gulped, that wasn't good at all. He shared a panicked look with Will before turning back to the teacher.

"Well, we don't really have, umm, parents."

"Oh right! Of course, I'm so forgetful sometimes. I meant Mr. Brunner. He can come tomorrow evening. I look forward to meeting him"

With that the teacher, whose name Nico still didn't know, went to the next row, talking about something else.

"I doubt Chiron would appreciate coming all the way to Chicago because of some parent evening.", Will said. "How about we tell her, he can't make it?"

"That's not exactly a good solution. We knew this problem would arise some day, so why not do something about it now? We could send someone posing as 'Mr. Brunner' and we won't have to deal with the parent thing for a while. She will just pester us for a meeting with him if nobody shows up tomorrow."

"And who do you you suggest we send? It has to be someone, who is at least 18."

"Annabeth?"

"She is female."

"Damn it!"

"No curse words", sing-songed the teacher.

Nico lowered his voice again. "What about Chris then? He is 18, right?"

Will nodded. "But not long enough. He just turned 18 two weeks ago, that is not long enough for someone to adopt two teenagers."

"Yeah, but nobody needs to know that."

"If we do it like that, we could take anyone, because we all look older than we are. Well, except for you"

Nico hit him in the arm for that.

"Okay, okay, sorry. No need to bruise my arm further."

The gong interrupted them.

"How about we talk about it later? See you in chemistry"


	7. Gina gets eaten by werewolves

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"So, Nico. Can you answer a question for me?", Spacey-girl asked, sitting down in the seat next to Nico.

His second period was apparently an elective, for which Chiron chose History for him. Will was in Music. He actually wanted to enjoy this class, history always being something he liked, but Spacey-girl turned up here too. So the enjoyment part was out.

Paul chose that moment to let himself fall in the seat in front of Nico, soon joined by the girl from his English class. Paul turned around in his seat, greeting them both. Nico turned back to Gina, who was looking at him nervously.

"You and Will are really good friends, right?"

"Yeah..."

Paul snickered. Nico shot him a glare, that shut him up abruptly. Gina apparently didn't notice.

"So you would know if he has a girlfriend."

"Yeah..."

"Does he have one?"

Nico didn't know what to say now. If he answered with a 'no' would mean for Spacey-girl to continue flirting, if he answered with a 'yes' he would have to tell Will about that fast, before Spacey-girl found him again. And who said Gina would stop once she heard, that Will was taken? He decided to go with the truth.

"Not really"

Spacey-girl's face lit up like the Apollo cabin in the sun. "So he is single?"

"Not really"

Paul was now laughing into his sleeve, getting a weird glance from the girl next to him. Spacey-girl was looking at Nico confused.

"How can he not be single when he doesn't have a girl-oh" A look of understanding crossed her face and she became red.

Will chose that moment to appear in front of them. He looked between the four, Paul laughing, Spacey-girl being red like the Ares cabin (What was it with him and comparing her to the cabins at Camp today?), the Mockingbird-girl having raised both her eyebrows and Nico looking bored. Will's gaze flickered from Nico to Gina, before landing back by the son of Hades.

"What did you do?"

"Who said I did anything?"

Will raised one eyebrow.

"What are you even doing here?"

"My teacher is sick, so I asked if I could come here."

"You are voluntarily going to school?", asked Paul.

Will shrugged. "Better boring here where I can annoy that one", he nodded to Nico. "Then boring alone somewhere where I can't annoy anyone"

"Because that's the thing you live of, annoying other people", Nico supplied.

He then looked back at Spacey-girl, who was now looking at Will with a sad expression. Will noticed that too. He sat down and then asked her about it. Spacey-girl turned scarlet and ducked her head down.

"She just learned that you are gay", answered the other girl for her. "I'm Akemi by the way"

Will ignored her, he stared at Nico in shock. "What?"

Spacey-girl's head snapped up. "So you aren't?"

"No, no I am, but, why did you tell her?"

"She asked"

"She asked you whether I was gay?"

"No"

"Then why did you tell her?"

"She asked whether you have a girlfriend or not"

"He said no", Paul piped up.

"And then she asked whether you were single or not"

"And he said no again"

"Yeah, thanks for your input, Paul"

Paul raised his hands in a defensive gesture. Will gaped at Nico, who looked a bit sheepish.

"So it's true?", Spacey-girl asked sadly.

"Yeah"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone", she muttered.

"Me neither", said Akemi.

"Thanks"

"Good morning class, let's begin. Today we will talk about Ancient Rome. Does anybody know something about this?"

Nico and Will shared a look. This was going to be easy.

* * *

"You totally aced that", Akemi exclaimed as soon as they left the classroom. Both demigods blushed a bit.

"Grew up with it", gave Nico as an explanation.

"Oh, there is Andy. Hey Andy!", Spacey-girl yelled, waving at her friend.

She seemed a lot happier now then an hour ago. But looks could be deceiving, she was probably still sad about her unrequited crush. Nico felt kinda bad for her. He knew after all what it felt like to crush on somebody who will never like you back.

They said goodbye to Paul and Will when Andy joined them and walked to English class.

"You got the book?", asked Akemi.

Nico nodded. He didn't find time to make the homework though.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ironfence won't send you to detention for not making your homework. You didn't have the book until last evening, he will understand"

"Can you read minds or something?"

"She does that all the time, it's a bit freaky if you ask me", Andy said.

Akemi looked hurt, the smile vanishing from her face.

"But nobody asked you" Nico glared at him.

He can't just say that to her face. This actually hurt most people more than they let on.

Andy looked baffled at being snapped at and Spacey-girl looked up from the floor. She didn't seem to know what was going on.

They reached the classroom just in time before awkward silence could spread out between them. Nico took the same seat as last time, this time though Andy sat down somewhere else. The seat next to him was instead taken by the same guy he met in detention. Mr. Ironfence entered the room and instantly started collecting the homework. He stopped in front of Nico, looking at him questioningly.

"I just got the book last night, I couldn't make the homework"

Mr. Ironfence nodded. "Just make sure to make the homework from now on" With that the teacher moved on.

"If you need help with anything, just ask", said the guy next to him.

Nico turned to him and forced a smile. "That's nice of you, but I'm fine"

The boy was a bit creepy. He didn't give off any monster vibes, so he should be a normal mortal. But Nico couldn't exactly rely on his senses anymore, seeing as he didn't get who Mormo was until it was too late. Stupid concealer balls, messing everything up.

He could feel the gaze of the boy linger on his body and he barely suppressed a shudder. He didn't like being looked at, especially not in that way. The only one allowed was Will and he was currently on the other side of the school.

Nico glared at Creepy, getting him to look the other way. At least a bit of success.

Akemi in front of him turned around. "I think Gina hates you now"

"Why?"

"You crushed her heart", she said using a over dramatic voice. "Broke it in half, stomped on it and fed it to a werewolf"

Nico's scars hurt at the mention of a werewolf. Stupid Lycaon.

"A werewolf?"

Akemi nodded. "Yeah there is lore about werewolves eating human hearts"

"How do you know that?"

"TV", she said mysteriously and turned back around.

Akemi definitely was a strange one, but a good strange. Nico liked her.

Creepy apparently decided that Nico's death glare wasn't scary enough for him to be a reason to keep his eyes of him. So now Creepy's gaze was back and Nico was ready to tear him to bits.

* * *

As soon as the gong sounded Nico disappeared from the room, getting Will and heading to chemistry. All the way to the Science Building Nico had the feeling he was being followed, but whenever he turned around, there was no-one there. He was definitely getting paranoid.

"What is it?", Will asked finally.

"Nothing, I'm just...paranoid", Nico muttered.

"I can't blame you", Will said, bumping his shoulder to Nico's in a comforting way.

Nico send him a small smile.

They reached Miss Orleen's classroom early again. The cloud nymph was already there waiting for them.

"Why didn't you bring the substances back yesterday? I found them laying on the lawn. What happened?", she sounded genuinely worried about them.

"Ran into a monster after detention, sorry about not bringing them back", Will explained.

"A monster, here?", she looked shocked. "But I had it all under control"

"It's not your fault Miss Orleen. Chiron once didn't recognize one for nearly half a year. This happens", Will comforted her.

"Who was it?"

"The detention teacher. Called himself Mormo", said Nico.

"Mormo?!", squeaked the nymph, looking horrified.

"So you know him? Who was he?"

"Not many modern demigods know about him. He was slowly forgotten during time."

"Yeah we noticed. He was shocked when we didn't recognize him. Wanted to be the thing kids fear most"

"He went so far as to declare Santa Claus as his enemy" Will and Nico had to snicker at the thought of Mormo going up against Santa Claus. Miss Orleens chuckled too.

"In Ancient Greek times mothers would tell their children stories about Mormo, who would come and bite them if they didn't behave. It invoke fear in the children, helping their parents in raising them properly. His story is a bit like the modern boogeyman."

"That explains some stuff. Thanks"

In that moment Paul came bursting through the doors. He stopped abruptly when he saw Miss Orleens.

"Oh um hi Miss, sorry for running"

The nymph smiled at him. "Don't worry. Sit down"

Paul went over to Will and Nico.

"You aren't going to yell at each other again, right?", he asked.

Both demigods shook their heads.

"We haven't yelled at each other earlier, have we?"

"You looked ready to murder Nico in History"

Nico snorted. He wanted to see that. Will might be taller and stronger than him, but until now Nico had won every fight. Paul looked at Nico strangely, but said nothing.

Miss Orleen started the lesson a few moments later, which went by without a problem.

"We have to talk about some stuff", Will said after the lesson.

"I guess"

"You know I don't approve of you using your powers, but could you get us back to the apartment?"

"Sure"

Nico ran over to Paul, telling him that they would go somewhere else to eat and encouraged him to eat with Akemi. After Paul trotted of, they were the last ones in the hallway.

Nico pulled Will towards a dark corner. "Ready?"

"I don't think so" Will was scared as heck of shadow-traveling, saying it was to dark and dangerous.

Nico grabbed both of Will's hands, dissolving into the shadows. They appeared in their closet in the apartment. Nico blushed bright red. Will chuckled a bit, opening the door and stepping back into the light.

"So, you wanted to talk?"

Will nodded, but before he could say anything a rustling sound came from the living room. They shared a short look, before Nico got out his black sword. Will pulled his bow and some arrows from under the bed, where he kept them in case he needed them. The dagger he used against Mormo was still in his jacket pocket.

They slowly crept towards the door, which thankfully wasn't closed completely. The rustling got louder, joining with a slurping sound. Confused Nico looked back at Will, who shrugged. Nico peered around the corner to the living room and raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

There, in front of the fridge, stood a cyclops eating their food.


	8. Megiria throws a sword in the trash

**Chapter 8**

"Oi, what do you think you are doing?", exclaimed Will, marching forward. "You can't just break in here and steal our food! Explain yourself!"

Nico stared at him like he was crazy. Was Will trying to get himself killed? The cyclops looked stunned too.

"I am hungry, so I eat!", he growled.

"That is no reason. Leave the food alone."

"You're right. Maybe I should just eat you instead"

Will yelped as the cyclops charged at him. Nico sprang into action. He pushed Will out of the way, the cyclops running straight into Nico's sword which now stuck out of his abdomen. The cyclops screamed in outrage, swinging his fist at Nico, who got knocked to the ground. A faint swoosh could be heard and a arrow embedded itself in the side of the cyclops's head. Instantly he exploded into dust.

"We should have used that with Mormo", Will said, walking towards Nico to help him up.

"NO!"

A loud scream froze him. Both heads turned towards the door, where they saw the ugly face of a younger cyclops.

"More of them?", Will asked surprised.

Nico picked up his sword and staggered to his feet. Will knocked another arrow, aiming towards the head of the cyclops. The monster screamed and bolted. Nico ran after it. They couldn't just let it get away and maybe harm some other demigods. He could hear footsteps behind him, so Will probably followed.

The cyclops ran up a set of stairs and down another corridor. He was slow and it only took a few seconds for Nico to catch up to him. With a well placed swing of his sword, the cyclops was on the floor. Staring at him with shock and fear. He looked like a lost child, maybe the younger brother of the cyclops they killed downstairs. Nico let his sword arm sink and stepped away from the monster. He couldn't just kill him. Maybe he could learn to be nice like Tyson did?

This thought was crushed a second after. The cyclops used Nico's moment of weakness to attack. He produced a club from behind his back and swung it at the demigod. Nico jumped back, the spiked end millimeters away from his face.

He grabbed his sword harder. This cyclops definitely wasn't like Tyson. Nico swung his sword, leaving a huge gash in the monsters chest, who was now screaming again. If he didn't shut up soon some mortals were going to look at what was making the sounds.

The next swing decapitated the cyclops, whose body crumbled to dust. Except for Nico's breathing there was no other sound. Where was Will?

A bad feeling crept up inside of him. Nico tried to push it down. Will was just back at the apartment, nothing to worry about. This was what he was telling himself as he made his way back downstairs. When he reached the apartment, the door was wide open and the bad feeling came back. Nico started running towards their apartment, barging into a silent living room.

"Will?"

No answer.

Nico rushed trough the other two rooms but neither the bathroom nor the bedroom was occupied. He returned back into the living room, which was still silent. His gaze fell on something half hidden by the kitchen isle. Slowly he walked towards it, his hand still clutching his sword. When he peeked over the isle, his heart nearly stopped.

There on the floor lay Will's bow, broken in half.

* * *

According to his watch, it was time to return to school, but Nico didn't care. Will still hadn't turned up and Nico was bordering on a panic attack. He had run through the whole building, even going up and down the street once, Will was nowhere in sight. Nico had tried everything, he even looked in the elevator, but the blond son of Apollo had just disappeared.

Currently Nico was sitting on the floor next to the apartment door, staring at the broken bow. The bow reminded Nico of his own heart, broken in half, stomped on and fed to a werewolf.

This uncertainty was the worst. Not knowing what happened was nearly killing him. Will could be everywhere, taken by even more cyclops, being hurt or even dead. Would it have changed if Nico just stayed here instead of running after the cyclops? Definitely. A tear slipped out of his eye. He should have never gone away from Will. Should have never left him on his own, not while some monsters were running around in the building. Whatever happened to Will, it was Nico's fault.

He angrily brushed away the tear. He was not going to sit here and cry. No, he was going to find his boyfriend and make sure, nothing ever harmed him again.

He got to his feet, picking up his sword. With one last look at the bow, he left the apartment, closing the door behind him. Where could Will be? The cyclops had run upstairs, Will had followed Nico, he knew that, so he probably went further up.

A scream tore trough the silence. "NICO!"

Nico's head snapped up. "Will?"

This was definitely Will's voice. So he was still alive. Nico started running towards the stairs, where he pondered the direction for a second, before starting to climb the stairs, two at a time.

"Nico!", Will screamed again, louder this time. Nico reached the end of the stairs, looking down the corridor, but no-one was here. He walked down the hall until he stopped in front of a door that wasn't on any other floors. This probably was it.

Nico tried to open the door, which was way to easy should it work. Surprisingly it did, the door swinging open and revealing another set of stairs. Nico slipped trough the doorway, quietly climbing the stairs until he reached a door at the end. He could hear voices behind the door. Leaning towards it he tried to make out what they where saying.

"...not coming. Do it again", said a harsh voice.

"Nico!", screamed Will, making Nico flinch.

"You're getting better", the first voice sounded proud.

"Thanks", said a second voice, one Nico hadn't heard before.

Nico wondered what they meant. In what was the second person getting better?

Then it hit him. They were cyclopes, able to copy the voice of others. Will wasn't the one screaming, it was a cyclopes copying his voice. This thought didn't help much in calming him down. They had to get the voice from somewhere, meaning, they had had Will. Anger surged though him. If those bastards hurt him, they were going to pay for it. They were expecting him to come right trough this door, but for Nico there was another way onto the roof.

He took a step back from the door and concentrated on the shadows on the roof. He could feel them, some of them moving around a bit, others staying in place. Nico chose one of the moving ones, then he melted into the shadows.

Normally shadow-travel tired him, but right now, with all the adrenaline rushing through his body, he didn't feel a thing.

Nico appeared behind one of three cyclops, who didn't notice him. This gave the son of Hades an advantage. He quickly assessed the situation. One bigger cyclops was standing behind the door leading on the rooftop, a smaller one, most likely a child too, was next to him. The one Nico appeared behind was taller than the child, but not as tall as the other one, who was obviously the boss. No sign of Will anywhere on the roof, at least no-where where Nico could see him. He decided it was time for some action.

Quickly he stepped closer to the cyclops in front of him, he cut him trough his knee caves, making him fall with a grunt. The other two now looked a him. Nico jumped on the cyclops's back, bringing his sword down. The cyclops struggled and growled under him, but couldn't do much. Finally he stilled, falling apart into the yellow dust.

The boss screamed in outrage, but didn't charge at him. Instead the smaller one came running at him, swinging a spiked club.

Nico stepped back and kicked the yellow dust up, which got into the cyclops's eye. The cyclops yelled, swinging his club wildly, not being able to see that much anymore. Not that he ever was able to see much to begin with.

Nico ducked one of the swings, trying get near enough to harm the monster. But the wild swings with the club made that almost impossible. Nico ducked another one and finally saw an opening. With his sword, he swung at the monster's side, which the monster tried to protect with his club. The cyclops had to hold it strangely, loosing the grip a bit. Nico used that to kick the offending piece of wood out of the monster's hand.

"My, club!", he cried.

After that it was a piece of cake to take him out.

Panting heavily Nico turned to the last one, who was now glaring at the demigod.

"You killed my whole family!", he yelled. "You will pay for that!"

The cyclops was at least four times as tall as Nico himself, making him the one with the advantage in height and strength. But Nico wouldn't be Nico if that stopped him. All his life he had to fight against taller people and monster, one of the many disadvantages of being small.

The cyclops stomped towards him, pulling out his weapons. He didn't have any clubs, but two curved sword instead. He swung them with a force and speed, that made them nearly impossible to block. Nico backed up until he was at the edge of the building. He couldn't move there. He blocked one of the swings, sword nearly falling out of his hand.

The cyclops raised both his arms over his head, Nico wouldn't be able to block both swords. But this gave the son of Hades an opportunity to run. He ducked beneath the monster, just in time to miss the two swords. On of it got stuck in the floor, which got the cyclops to growl.

He turned around, both hands now clutching the sword. Nico was already halfway over the rooftop. He considered going downstairs, where the cyclops couldn't follow, but he wouldn't put it past him not to destroy the floors in an attempt to get the son of Hades. So, he ducked behind the little house in which the stairs were. He was slowly getting tired and he needed a better plan.

This was promptly thrown out the window, when he crashed into a human body. Or half-human. Will was sitting there, hands bound behind his back and a gag in his mouth. He was fiddling with his dagger, trying to cut through the bonds and except for a bleeding cut on his temple, he was unharmed. The next thing Nico knew, he had his arms wrapped around his boyfriend, muttering something that sounded like "Thank the gods you're okay"

Will mumbled something in response.

"Oh, yeah, right" Nico quickly removed the gag and then cut through the bond with his sword.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are", the cyclops called, using Will's voice.

The monster didn't seem too bright, considering there was only one hiding place on the whole roof.

"Do I really sound like that?", Will asked, looking disgusted.

Nico gave him a look like _Not now!_

He stumbled to his feet again, peeking around the corner. The cyclops stood about a meter behind the little house, raising the club of his fallen buddy. Oh oh.

Nico quickly pulled Will back on the floor, back pressing against the wall. The club slammed into the house, sending it crashing down, bits of stone flying around. Will and Nico got burrowed under a pile of stone.

"Huh?", the monster made a confused sound at not seeing either of the demigods.

"Nico?", whispered Will, poking him between the eyes.

Slowly Nico blinked, trying to get the dust out of his eyes, and opened them. One of the stone plates was pressing painfully into his side and a trickle of blood was running into his left eye.

"My foot his hanging half over the edge. You think we could go down there?", Will continued.

Nico didn't answer, instead trying to listen for the monster's footsteps. They were going away from them, so he had his back turned. Nico gave a small nod.

Will pushed to the side, where the edge was, Nico following his example. With a loud crash some of the stone plates slipped away, the two demigods following right after. Nico had tried to brace himself for the fall, but slamming into stairs from one and a half meters was still hurting as hell. It was a wonder, he didn't land on his head. As if he jinxed it, a small stone landed on his head, nearly knocking him out.

Will was getting back up on his feat, the cyclops came now stomping towards them, but Nico couldn't bare to move. His head hurt, his wrist felt like it was broken and he was sore all over.

"Nico, get up!", hissed Will.

A pair of hands grabbed him, moving him into a sitting position. Nico groaned in response. A piece of Ambrosia was shoved into his mouth and cleared his head a bit. Didn't take away the pain, though.

Nico searched around for his sword, which was laying only a few steps away. He grabbed it, just in time for the cyclops's head to appear over them. Nico did the first thing, that came to mind, he shoved the sword upwards, straight into the monster's eye. The cyclops screamed and disappeared. They could still hear his wailing, though.

Will scrambled up the stairs, moving piles of stone out of the way, Nico followed more slowly.

When he finally reached the top, Will was swinging his dagger wildly, the cyclops losing drops of yellow dust. With his backhand the monster threw Will over the roof, the demigod rolling a bit before coming to a stop.

Anger surged through Nico, letting him forget the pain of his head and wrist. His sword swung in a deadly arc, leaving a gash in the monster's legs. He dropped to his knees and growled.

Nico quickly moved to his side, letting the monster grab at thin air. He swung his sword again and kicked the monster in the behind, which let the monster fall forward, face planting into the dust. The son of Hades jumped on his back, trying to do the same as he had before, the cyclops however, didn't like that. He rolled over, throwing Nico off, who landed on the floor.

Head spinning, he stood up again, clutching his sword. The cyclops came staggering towards him, hands outstretched. Nico sidestepped, kicking the cyclops in the knee cave, sending him face planting again.

"I will kill you, son of Hades. And then I will kill the son of Apollo. And then I will eat you both", the monster threatened.

"I wanna see that", muttered Nico.

He raised his sword, bringing it down on the monsters back. The cyclops screamed, raising to his feet.

Nico took a few steps backwards, now weaponless. Yelling threats and growling a lot, the cyclops pulled the sword out and threw it over the edge of the roof. Well, that was just fantastic. They could hear it crashing into the bins next to the street.

The cyclops started sniffing around and then turned into the direction of the demigod. Nico took a few more steps backwards, when the cyclops started walking towards him.

"You will die now", he growled.

As soon as he finished that sentence, he fell forward, a bronze dagger sticking out of the back of his head. The cyclops gurgled something unintelligible, before falling apart. Nico looked up from the pile of dust, towards Will, who was standing there.

"Saved you again", he muttered, before clutching his head. "My head's killing me"

Nico stared at him and pulled his boyfriend in a hug.

"I'm so sorry", he muttered.

"There is nothing to be sorry for"

Then Will kissed him and it felt like the best kiss ever.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Will was staring sadly at his bow.

"You can just ask for a new one", Nico said.

Will shrugged, but didn't take his eyes of the remnants of his bow.

In that moment an Iris-message shimmered in front of them. On the other side Chiron stood, the counselors behind him, including Jason and Piper, which was strange.

Chiron's smile turned into a frown as soon as he laid eyes on the two demigods in Chicago. Some of the counselors were staring at them shocked. Nico couldn't blame them. The two of them were covered in bruises, scratches, gray and yellow dust and some of the gashes were still bleeding. Also, both of them had a major headache, not that the counselors could see that.

"Uh, hi there", Will said, waving his hand a bit.

Nico was still looking at Jason and Piper. "What are you doing there? Was Canada to cold for you?"

Jason snorted but shook his head. "Canada is really nice, but the monsters there aren't"

"Why are you calling?", asked Will. "And can I have a new bow?"

"That reminds me. My sword is still in the bins"

All eyes turned to Nico, looking at him weirdly.

"What?", he snapped.

"Nothing, it's just...strange. Why is it there?", Will asked.

"You were really out of it weren't you?"

"Well, sorry for being knocked unconscious"

"Whatever, I'm gonna get my sword"

Nico shadow-traveled to the bins, recovered his sword and appeared back next to Will in a matter of three seconds. Now he was swaying on his feet and yawned.

"Do we have an energy drink or something?"

"No, we don't have anything, because that cyclops ate it all!"

"That wasn't my fault!"

"Boys, calm down", said Chiron. They turned back towards the Iris-message. "What has gotten into you?"

"Your stupid balls!", Will yelled and blushed bright red right after. "That came out wrong"

"Ew", made Nico and some of the others snickered.

Chiron instead looked thoughtful. "Maybe you should come back to camp"

"No way! We're totally fine"

"Yeah, we can handle the monsters"

"And the not available patience"

They nodded simultaneously.

Because, seriously, this life was way to good to just stop it now. Even if some parts of the last two days were really awful, it were still the best two day they had in a long time.

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "You certain?"

They nodded.

"You look like you just lost a wrestling match with a bunch of cyclopes", Jason piped up.

"We didn't loose"

Piper chuckled at Jason's horrified look.

"So, you just fought some cyclopes?", Chiron asked.

Nico nodded. "Nothing major"

"Just a family who wanted revenge on Hades"

Nico looked surprised at Will. He would have to ask him about that later.

"So, what happened until now? Do you need help with anything?", Chiron asked now.

"Well, we met a cloud nymph posing as a teacher, a monster named Mormo, a boy who is friends with a daughter of Aphrodite and got lost in the woods."

"Not to forget all the different people who go to this school. Is it normal for mortals to behave that way?"

The centaur just nodded his head.

Will looked at Nico. "Anything else?"

Well, there was a lot stuff that happened, but Nico wasn't exactly willing to share that with the others. So he shook his head.

"Okay, then. We will contact you in a few days again" Chiron swiped his hand through the IM, the rainbow and mist disappearing.


	9. Will is total torment

**Chapter 9**

Nico was gulping down a cup of Nectar, when Will decided, they had to talk about some stuff. Which was the reason they came here at all.

"We still have that problem with tomorrow evening", Will started. "You got an idea?"

Nico shook his head slowly. It was still hurting a bit, which didn't make it any easier to think.

"Do you know any adults who owe you a favor?"

Nico thought back to some of the people he met during his travels before the Giant War. There were some people he had in debt, but he doubted they would be viewed as responsible parents. Except if you thought of a violent gang from LA as good parents, that is. Yes, they have been nice enough when Nico met them, or rather saved their asses from the police, which was unintentional by the way, but he wouldn't want to sent any of them to a Parents Evening. So he answered with a 'no'.

"Do you know any adults?", Will asked. He looked a bit troubled now and started pacing. "As you said, we can't just send no-one. Gods, this is all messed up!" Will threw his arms in the air and slumped down on the couch. Nico had a feeling it wasn't only about the parent thing.

He wanted to comfort Will, but didn't exactly know how. Or even what about. So he did the safe thing. He sat himself next to Will and pulled him in a hug. Will's tense shoulders relaxed a bit and he sighed in content.

"We could send Jules-Albert", Nico muttered.

Instantly Will bounced up from the couch, smiling like crazy. "That is it!" He whirled towards his boyfriend, who was looking at him a bit taken aback.

"You are a genius!", Will exclaimed.

He grabbed Nico's face, pressing a short kiss on his lips and then ran towards the kitchen. Nico could hear a crash and an 'Ow', but was too shocked to react.

What just happened? One moment Will was miserable and the next he was jumping around all happy. Nico turned towards the son of Apollo, who picked himself up from the floor. He still had that stupid grin on his face, but it didn't really reach his eyes.

"Could you maybe tell me, what it was, that made you run into the cupboard in your excitement?"

"You just solved all our problems!", Will said, jumping up and down like a little kid.

"I don't get you"

"We can send Jules-Albert to the Parents Evening, which means that nobody would bother us about our 'guardian' anymore, because he is kinda scary"

"Oi! Don't say that. Jules-Albert is awesome", Nico protested.

"Yeah, yeah.", Will waved him off. "He can also get us to the pool tomorrow after lunch and help clean up this mess" Will motioned around the room.

It truly was a mess. One of the chairs was broken, books and DVDs spilling over the floor, the contents of the fridge smashed and strewn over the stove, some of the picture frames on the walls were smashed and no furniture was on its original place. Also, the dust from the cyclops had settled on every surface and tinted it all yellow.

Even if these were some good resolutions, something still bothered Will, Nico could clearly see that.

"But that's not all", he said, looking at Will seriously.

All excitement left Will and his shoulders slumped a bit. He sat down on the remaining chair and sighed. Nico leaned against the back of the couch and looked at him expectantly.

"It's just...all of this", Will said slowly.

Well, that wasn't exactly helpful. Will noticed that too.

"All the stuff happening in the last few days. There are so much new things I have to learn. The last time I was really in the mortal world was five years ago and I'm so confused. Half the school is flirting with me and I don't know what to do and I don't want to hurt you or any of them. And then I go and break Gina's heart and now she can't even look at me anymore. I thought, we could become friends, but that is out of the question now.", Will rubbed his face, clearly distraught.

Nico felt guilty, because it was his fault Will felt that way. He pushed off the couch and walked towards Will, until he stood in front of him.

"That thing with Gina wasn't your fault, you know", he said, pulling the taller boy into his arms.

"But it feels like it", Will mumbled into Nico's hair. Nico hushed him.

They stood like that for a little while, until Will broke the silence again: "You are a really touchy person today, aren't you, sunshine?"

Nico rolled his eyes at his horrible nickname.

"How come?", Will asked, genuinely curious.

"I nearly got you killed today...again.", Nico answered. 'So I'm never letting you get out of my sight again', he added in his head.

Will didn't say anything for a while. "You know, up on the roof I hoped the whole time, that you would just ignore the cyclopes. That you wouldn't come"

"I would never do that"

"I know."

A comfortable silence stretched out between them.

This time it was Nico who broke it first: "What did you mean by 'Revenge on Hades'?"

Will chuckled a bit. "It was something stupid, really. Hades send one of Megiria's children after Thalia some years back. They killed it and Megiria blamed it on Hades. She wanted revenge and swore to kill one of Hade's kids. Waited ten years apparently."

"Who is Megiria?"

Nico could feel Will's body vibrate with laughter. "The cyclops lady who threw your sword in the trash."

"Oh. Thought it was a guy"

"I did too first"

Nico pulled away from the hug, looking at Will. "You okay now?"

Will nodded, a smile spreading out on his face. This time it reached his eyes, making them shine in a bright blue.

"How about we shower now and then get on our date?", Will said.

Nico only nodded, a small smile tugging on his lips.

* * *

Half an our later, they were both cleaned up and left the apartment in the hands of Jules-Albert, who seemed to take a liking to cleaning. At being asked after this, he only said something about liking to beat up dust. This weirded the two boys out a bit, but they gave him a broom anyway, watching bemused as the zombie started swishing around and enjoying it nearly as much as driving a car.

Will took Nico's hand, when they stepped into the stairwell.

"Can you get us to a nice restaurant?", he asked.

Nico gave him a look, that clearly said _What do you think? Idiot._

"Okay, okay. No need to get insulting"

Nico rolled his eyes, pulling Will closer. He pulled his head down, kissing him, effectively distracting Will from the darkness and the creepy sounds coming with the shadow-travel.

When Nico let go, they stood in a dark alley. Will looked around surprised, before turning back to Nico, who was trying to stifle a yawn. He intertwined the hands again, pulling the son of Hades out of the alley and into the bustling streets of New York City. They were in Little Italy. What better place to find a Italian restaurant?

"I would have taken us to the real Italy, but I doubt I would survive that", Nico told the other demigod.

Will glared at him in response. "Don't even think about it."

The two of them walked towards a secluded restaurant in a side street, away from all the people who made Nico feel uncomfortable. Will looked around on the colorful streets, admiring all the food and the people.

"Is the real Italy like this, too?"

Nico chuckled. "It is way better"

He recalled the memories he had from his home, both the ones from the forties and the 21st century. Except for that episode in Rome last summer, most of the memories were good ones.

They reached the restaurant, a waiter pointing them to a table in the corner, were they had some space for themselves.

Will took his menu and tried to decipher the dishes. "Holy Hera, these are a lot of dishes. How do we find the right one?"

Nico raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you think all there is to Italian food is spaghetti and pizza?"

A waiter, coming to ask for their drinks, snorted. Will looked offended.

"'Course not! It's just...we can't try all of this, until we find the right one"

"Well, then we don't. Its not that big of a problem"

"If I'm allowed to ask, what are you searching for?", the waiter interrupted.

"A dish. But we don't really know which one.", Will explained.

The waiter stared at them confused.

"How about we just get something to drink first?", Nico asked, shutting Will up and saving the poor waiter from being weirded out.

The waiter nodded, pulling out a writing pad and looking at them questioningly.

"Well, I don't really know...What would you recommend? To drink I mean...I wonder..." , Will rambled, starting to talk about the food and the weather. He was clearly not ready to order.

Nico shook his head at him and decided to save the poor guy from his boyfriend. The waiter looked totally confused and scared. So he ordered two cokes.

As soon as the waiter had hurried off, the son of Hades turned towards his boyfriend and glared playfully at him. "Now you scared him off"

Will puffed out his cheeks and shrugged. "He was staring at you"

Nico blinked a few times. "Are you jealous?"

"No! Of course not. Why would I be?"

The waiter came back, setting the drinks down. Nico decided to have some fun with Will.

" _I'm sorry for him. He didn't mean to confuse you"_ , he said in Italian to the waiter.

His eyes got wide. " _You speak Italian?"_

Nico nodded, as Will's head snapped up and he watched them out of narrowed eyes. Nico had to suppress a snicker.

" _I was born there, actually"_

" _Nice to meet someone, who isn't some stuck-up guy thinking all there is to Italy is pizza."_

That didn't sound like the waiter enjoyed to work here.

" _That bad?_ "

The waiter nodded furiously. _"Yesterday there was some woman, who thought that all the dishes were the toppings for the pizzas. She ordered frittura mista on her pizza because she thought it sounded exotic."_

Nico started laughing at that. Who would like to eat a mix of baked fish on their pizza? That would taste disgusting.

The waiter chuckled, too, but quickly sobered up at Will's glare.

"I will just go back to my job, then", he muttered and practically ran off.

Will's glare shifted now to his boyfriend, who was still shaking with laughter.

"What was that about?", he nearly hissed.

"No, not jealous at all", Nico said sarcastically.

Will blushed a deep red. "You are the devil, di Angelo"

"If you say that, don't use my full name. It's like saying 'You are total torment, Solace'"

"Am I?"

"What?", asked Nico.

"Am I total torment?", repeated Will.

Nico nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I don't even know what I did to be punished by this"

"Saved the world. You should have left it to fall apart, then you wouldn't have to put up with me", Will said, grinning cheekily.

"Yeah, then we all would be dead and I wouldn't have to see you, because you would be in Elysium."

Nico smiled now, too. It was so easy to have fun with Will and to smile. Sometimes he felt like it was too easy. Like a dream. And as soon as he woke up, he would be back in that jar, with only one seed left and a oxygen deprived mind fantasizing about a happy ending he would never have.

Nico shook his head, banishing the thoughts out of his mind. He was fine. This was no dream. Will wouldn't suddenly disappear.

Will was studying him carefully, probably trying to figure out what was going on in Nico's head. He gave him a small smile, showing, that he was fine. Before Will could say anything, the waiter was back, writing pad in hand.

Happy for a distraction, Nico lifted his menu to finally find a dish, he would like to eat. His eyes scanned the words, the Italian being a bit better to read, because it was more similar to Latin than English and so better to read for demigods. Better would be, of course, a text in Latin or the best, a text in Ancient Greek, but to find a menu in those languages was impossible. His gaze landed on a name, that stirred something in the back of his mind. Like a long lost memory crawling out of the black hole left behind by the Lethe.

Will was finished ordering his chicken alfredo gnocchi and now the two boys were looking at the son of Hades.

"I take the 49"

The waiter smiled at him, scribbled something on his pad and left.

"What's the 49?", Will asked imidetly.

Nico looked at his boyfriend and smiled a bit.

Will's jaw dropped towards the table. "You found _it_?"

"I guess?"

"This is awesome! We can finally know what your Ambrosia tastes like. Isn't this great?" Nico's smile became wider.

"We just discovered more about your life before the Casino, more about your childhood. Hades, I'm so excited", Will started bouncing in his seat.

Now Nico was on the verge of laughing. "Calm down, Will. You are more excited then I am"

As a response, Will started smiling like the Cheshire Cat, his face nearly splitting in half. (Mentally he made a note to get Will to watch the movie with him again)

* * *

Half an hour later their food arrived. They had talked about everything and nothing during the time they waited, Nico enjoying himself a lot.

Nico looked at his plate, contemplating, whether he should eat this now.

"What is it?", Will asked, excited again.

He eyed the food on Nico's plate with a mixture between curiosity and hunger. Nico couldn't blame him, the dish looked absolutely mouth-watering. Slices of ham were wrapped around thin veal, covered in white wine sauce and some sage leaves stuck out between the slices of meat. It was served with fried potatoes and a bit of salad.

Will repeated his question.

"It's saltimbocca alla romana.", Nico answered him this time.

Will nodded. "Go on, eat it. Or I am"

Nico chuckled, but cut a piece of veal.

"Here goes nothing", he muttered when he shoved it into his mouth.

It tasted like he expected, a bit different from the Ambrosia he ate yesterday, but close enough. And he loved it.

Will chuckled and picked up a gnocchi with his spoon.

"I don't think this is the right way to eat it", Nico told him.

"I guessed so much"

"Use the fork", advised Nico and went back to eating his saltimbocca.

Will shoved the gnocchi in his mouth and began chewing. He slowed down, his eyes blown wide.

"Are you okay?"

Will nodded slowly. "More than better. I think my Ambrosia just changed, too"

He looked down on his plate. There lay a pile of gnocchi with alfredo sauce all over it. He looked back up, at his boyfriend, who had stopped in the middle of lifting his fork and stared at him.

"That can happen?", Nico asked, still in a bit of shock.

Will nodded and eyed Nico's plate. "But I doubt it would happen to you. You're totally in love with that stuff"

"I thought you were totally in love with your Mom's pudding"

"Thought so, too." Will shrugged, not concerned about his change in his favorite dish.

"So we both like Italian now?", Nico asked, lifting his glass to his mouth.

"I always liked Italian", Will said and winked at Nico, who choked on his coke at that. He blushed a bit and set the glass down.

Will laughed at Nico's red face. Meanwhile, the son of Hades tried to hide hide his blush.

"You are so adorable, you know that?", Will asked.

Nico promptly glared at him. He was Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, the Ghost King. He wasn't _adorable_.

He directed his attention back towards the food. This was definitely the best thing he ever ate.


	10. Annabeth loves a kidnapper

**Chapter 10**

The sun was beginning to sink, when Nico and Will left Little Italy, strolling through the streets of Manhattan, enjoying the familiar environment.

New York managed to calm Nico every time he walked through the streets of the famous city. Maybe it was the presence of the gods over the Empire State Building, or just the anonymity you had in this city.

"I would like to go to the big Italy one time", Will said, breaking the silence. "We could totally do that during summer break, go on a trip to Italy. By plane of course"

"As long as we don't stop by the Colosseum in Rome", muttered Nico, not wanting to ever see that place again.

"We could just leave out Rome completely. There are other nice places in Italy, right?"

"'Course. The Tuscany for example. Especially Florence and Siena, they are really beautiful cities. But it's really hot there during summer.", Nico said, smiling a bit at the memory of the two famous cities. He didn't know how they were now, except from pictures, but if they were anything like the cities from his childhood memories, they were really worth a visit.

"What about Venice? We could take a trip with a gondola over the Grand Canal. That would be romantic"

Nico snorted. "First of all, there is nothing romantic about a trip over the Grand Canal. You have to take the side streets for that. Second, I'm not taking a gondola trip with you."

"Spoilsport", muttered Will, loud enough for Nico to hear it.

The son of Hades rolled his eyes at Will's childish antics, but stopped dead in his tracks, when he saw something, or rather someone, on the other side of a red light, they just stopped at. Will saw Nico's horrified look and reached into his jacket.

"Monster?", he asked.

Nico shook his head. "Worse"

"What could be worse than a monster?"

"That", was all Nico said.

The light turned and the people around him started moving. Nico hoped they would conceal them from the people coming their way, but no such luck.

"Nico! Will!", exclaimed an all to familiar voice and Nico was pulled out of the crowd.

"Uh, hi guys"

* * *

Percy and Annabeth had dragged the two younger demigods through three subway stations, around five blocks and into an elevator to the sixth floor. Now they were looking at Nico worried, who was desperately trying to breathe normally. Will was squeezing his hand encouragingly. Thankfully the elevator ride was short enough for Nico not to get a panic attack.

Nonetheless, he was the first out of the small cabin, thankful for the wider space of the hallway they were in. His breathing got slowly back to normal and all three demigods shot him worried glances. Annabeth looked between the elevator and Nico for a second, before she got it and nudged Percy forward. The son of Poseidon started talking about Blackjack's newest donut raid and shoved the son of Apollo towards a door at the end of the hallway. Annabeth squeezed Nico's shoulder for a second, before following the two boys. Nico waited a bit longer, regaining his breath fully, then moved to catch up with the others.

Percy had just knocked on the door, when Nico realized where they were.

"What are we doing here?", he hissed.

"Visiting my Mom, obviously"

"Wait, what?", Will asked confused.

"But why?"

"We just came back from a not so successful quest into the mortal world and we wanted to say 'hello' before going back to camp.", Percy explained as if it was obvious.

"Seaweed Brain, they wonder why you dragged them along", said Annabeth.

A look of understanding passed over Percy's face and he formed an 'oh' with his mouth. Before he could say anything, though, the door was opened, revealing a nice looking woman with long dark hair. Her face broke into a smile, when she laid eyes on the four demigods in front of her, even if she didn't even know one of them.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Good Evening, Sally!"

"Hello, Mrs. Blofis"

"Uh, hi, Percy's Mom"

The demigods spoke at the same time, but Mrs. Blofis caught it all anyways.

She pulled Percy and Annabeth in tight hugs, before turning to Nico.

"How often do I have to tell you to call me Sally, Nico?"

"Um...we met like twice?" Nico was a bit surprised at this. He didn't expect Sally to actually remember him.

"Yes and every time I had to tell you this", she smiled, then focused on Will.

"I don't believe we met before.", she said, holding her hand out to shake. "I'm Sally Blofis, Percy's mother. Call me Sally"

Will shook her hand, smiling one of his dazzling Apollo-smiles. "William Solace, call me Will. Nice to meet you, Sally"

Sally looked around at all the teenagers on her front mat, before opening the door wider and shooing them inside. The demigods shed their jackets and were directed towards the table, were Paul Blofis was sat, grading some papers. He looked up at the sound of feet and opened his mouth to say something. He closed it again when he took in who stood in front of him.

"Hi, Paul!", yelled Percy and flung himself in the chair opposite of his stepdad.

"Percy, its good to see you again. And you too, Annabeth." He looked to where Will was taking in the living room and Nico tried to figure out what to do with himself.

After Paul said a 'hello' to Nico, too, and Will was introduced, Sally forced them to sit down at the table and brought a platter of blue cookies from the kitchen. Will raised his eyebrows at the color, while Percy started shoving them down his throat. Annabeth muttered something about seaweed brains and chewing, while Sally just gave him a look. Percy slowed down considerably and only ate one cookie a time.

"Could you maybe tell us now, why you kidnapped us?", Nico asked him.

"I didn't kidnap you"

"You brought us here against our will, without telling us why", Will pointed out.

Percy had the decency to look sheepish. Sally looked between Percy and the younger demigods, trying to figure out, what they were talking about. Annabeth leaned over and quietly filled her in.

"I thought it would be better if we saved the extra van to pick us up here."

"Van? Picking us up? What are you talking about?", Nico asked, completely confused.

"The van to bring us back to camp", Annabeth supplied.

"We don't-", started Will, but was interrupted by the son of Poseidon. "Wait! You aren't going back to camp, but you aren't in Chicago either, so what are you doing in New York?"

"Vacation?", asked Will.

The demigods around the table, including Nico, gave him a look saying _Are you stupid?_ The two mortal adults just snorted.

"What were you doing in New York?", asked Annabeth, looking at Nico.

"Going out?"

Sally looked from Will to Nico at that, a smile spreading on her face. Nico was a bit irritated at that. Why was she smiling?

Percy looked even more sheepish, slowly sliding down in his seat and disappearing under the table.

Then Sally focused on her son, giving him a scolding look. "You can't just bring them here, without thinking about why they are in this city"

"Oops?"

Sally sighed, as if this was a normal occurrence.

"So you aren't fed up with the concealer balls or the monsters? Were you even attacked by any monsters?", Annabeth asked.

"The balls _are_ annoying and yes, be had run-ins with monsters, but we're not giving up", Will said, looking proud of himself.

Percy straightened up again. "Oi! We didn't give up, but we were attacked three times and the school nearly burned down. We just want to live in peace."

"I can understand you completely", Nico said.

Will looked at him surprised. "You want to go back to camp, too!"

"I never said that! But sometimes I think it might be better. We are going to be dead by the end of the week if this keeps up. I'm surprised nothing happened in the last two hours."

"That's Mount Olympus. It keeps some of the monsters away from here, especially after they lost two wars to us", explained Annabeth, interrupting the two boys.

"Why can't it be in Chicago, then?", groaned Will.

"Or Texas", Percy joined in.

They simultaneously sighed.

Annabeth and Nico shared a glance, obviously annoyed by their boyfriends antics.

"So, you are going back to the the Windy City later?", Annabeth asked, ignoring Percy.

"Probably"

Nico watched the other two boys with an exasperated expression, while Will and Percy tried out who had the better sad face. Paul tried to hide his laughter at that, burying his nose back in his papers.

"Percy, honey, stop making these faces. You are nearly 18, not seven"

Percy ducked his head in shame. "Yes, mom"

It was always refreshing to see the Saviour of Olympus (and probably most powerful demigod ever) being scolded by his mother.

Nico still wasn't exactly sure what they did at Sally's, but the evening turned out to be more fun than he expected.

Sally had promised to help them, whenever they needed her and Paul had offered to play their guardian, which the two younger demigods declined saying, that it would be more fun with Jules-Albert.

It was nearing ten, when the van for camp showed up and the two younger demigods decided to go. It was a deep darkness outside and no problem for Nico to find a shadow large enough to travel through. They reappeared next to the dumpsters behind their apartment building, Will shuddering a bit.

"You think it was a good idea to come back here?", Nico asked.

Will nodded. "If the monster attacks keep on like this, we will go back to camp, but if not, we will stay here. Live a life we always dreamed of"

The two boys entered the building, skipping up the stairs and nearly running that same old woman over, as when they arrived here first. It felt like so long ago, but in reality it was only three days.

The apartment was freshly cleaned and tidied up, the surfaces gleaming a bit in the artificial light. Jules-Albert had done a good job. The zombie was nowhere to be seen, so Nico figured he must be back in the Underworld.

He let himself fall on the couch, closing his eyes and yawning. Will chuckled and sat down next to him, poking him in the side.

"Scoot over"

Nico grumbled something, but didn't move. He was too tired to do anything.

Will sighed and the next thing Nico knew, he was pushed on the floor. The son of Hades yelped, catching himself before face-planting on the carpet. He scowled at the laughing son of Apollo, who was now stretching out on the couch. It was that moment a knock sounded at the door. The demigods quickly sobered up and exchanged a glance. The knocking became more frantic and yelling started up.

"Hello?! Let me in, please! I need your help!", it was a girl's voice, sounding faintly familiar.

Will moved first, dagger at the ready. He pulled open the door, revealing...

"Gina?!"

* * *

Spacey-girl was sitting on their couch, wiping her eyes with a tissue, mascara all over her cheeks. She sniffled a bit, not looking at the boys standing in front of her.

"Can you maybe explain to us, why you are here?", asked Nico.

"I'm here because you seem to know a lot about this topic and I think you wouldn't call me crazy", Spacey-girl started, fiddling with the tissue.

This didn't sound to good to Nico.

"How about, you tell us what happened", said Will gently.

Gina took a deep breath, before starting her explanation: "All my life I saw things, others didn't" Here Nico and Will exchanged a look. "There was this man with only one eye and a flying horse. I know, it sounds like I'm totally nuts, but I swear it happened.", she stopped, searching for a hint of judgment in the eyes of the two demigods.

"Go on", Will nudged her a bit.

Gina looked back down on her tissue. "Today in history lessons, when we talked about the roman mythology, I thought I recolonized some of the things. The flying horse Pegasus for example. You seemed to know a lot about that, even more than the teacher. And sometimes I had the feeling you spoke about it in present tense.", she looked up, tears swimming in her eyes. "Am I crazy?"

Nico felt a pang of sympathy for her. It was never easy to learn, that there was a world out there you never knew of. Will sat down next to her, laying a arm around her shoulder.

"No you're not. Pegasi are real, as are the cyclopes and everything else from greek and roman mythology", he said slowly and soothing. Spacey-girl stared at him, mouth wide open.

"Really?", she squeaked and looked from Will to Nico and back to Will. "You aren't pulling my leg here, are you?"

Both demigods shook their heads.

"So I am not crazy?"

"No you are not. Some people are able to see it and some aren't"

"And I can?"

"How old are you?", asked Nico, interrupting the two teenagers on the couch.

"16, why?"

She definitely wasn't a demigod, so she had to be a clear-sighted mortal. Nico leaned down and picked up the celestial bronze dagger. "Can you see that?"

Spacey-girl looked taken aback. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be, its a normal pen"

Nico raised an eyebrow. The mist was still affecting her, interesting.

"Is it? Really?", he asked and waved a dagger a bit.

Spacey-girl frowned. "Yes?" Then her eyes widened. "Oh my god! It's a dagger!"

He held the blade towards her. "Can you touch it?"

Gina looked a bit confused, but slowly poked it with her finger. Or tried to. Her hand passed clean trough the metal.

"Oh my god", she breathed, then frowned. "Or is it gods?"

"It's 'gods' actually, but you don't have to say it if you don't want to", said Will.

"What's with the blade? Nico can touch it but I can't. How does it work?"

"You are mortal, so celestial bronze, or imperial gold, can't harm you. They are the metals our weapons are made of"

Spacey-girl nodded, taking it all in. She was a lot smarter than she let on. "The way you said 'you are mortal' means you aren't" It wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"Not completely. You remember what you learned about gods interacting with mortals?"

"That a lot of gods had affairs with mortal women or men, sometimes even married them. The children were called demigods and were great heroes. Like Hercules"

"Hercules isn't 'great'. He is the biggest douche-bag of the universe", grumbled Nico quietly.

Spacey-girl's eyebrows disappeared into her hair at that. "You met Hercules?"

"Not in person, thankfully. But a friend of mine did"

Gina was left gaping on the couch. "That means you are about three thousand years old!"

Will started laughing at that. "Hercules was made a god. I'm sixteen just like you. Nico is too"

Gina blushed a bright red.

"But back to the topic. We are, in fact, demigods", Will said, motioning to Nico and himself.

Spacey-girl nodded. "That's a lot for one day."

"I can understand. I remember when I was told about all of this. I hid under my blanket for the whole day, hoping it would all get away. Lee had to coax me out of there with a slice of apple pie." Will got a faraway expression at the thought of his dead brother.

Spacey-girl started laughing a little. Nico studied her for a second. She seemed fine, a bit scared and confused but otherwise okay.

"But why did you only came at this time? Why not earlier?", Nico asked. He had wondered about this since the beginning.

Gina gulped, her eyes becoming watery again. "Because something happened" The two demigods looked at her expectantly. "I was on my way home from shopping with Betty, a friend of mine, when Andy suddenly showed up. He started babbling about leaving the city and some other stuff and honestly, he scared the hell out of me" She took a shaky breath. It was obviously not easy for her to tell them that. "I was nearly at home when he suddenly grabbed me and dragged me into an alley. I was scared like crazy and started screaming but he told me he just wanted to talk. So I told him to talk. It was something about half-bloods and that he was in danger. He wanted to leave before they killed him. And then the weirdest thing happened. He just changed. Turning into this _thing_ , like a figure made out of a cloud. He started to yell at me, to tell me who the half-bloods were, because I could see them. That his life was in danger and if I wanted to save him, I had to tell him who they were, so that he could k-kill them"

Spacey-girl burst into tears, face hidden in her hands. Sobs rocked her body and Will laid an arm around her shoulder, comforting her. The girl turned her body towards him, leaning into the boy and sobbing in his shirt. Nico frowned, when Will pulled her nearer and into a hug.

"Everything will be alright.", he muttered. "Why don't you tell us what happened afterwards?"

Spacey-girl sniffled a bit and sat up again. Her eyes were red and puffy and tear stains were on her cheeks. Nico felt really bad for her. This experience must have been traumatic for her.

"I-I started screaming at him to leave me and then I punched him. My hand passed right through, like a cloud, and he became so angry. Started to cackle, like electricity, and I ran. He stopped following after a while, flew off towards the lake and I came straight here."

Gina wiped her eyes with her hand, smearing a bit of mascara on her nose.

Nico shared a look with Will, both thinking the same. Gina's friend had been an Anemoi Thuella, a storm spirit, who attacked her because of them. No wonder, that that poor girl was so distraught.

"How do you know where we live?", asked Will.

Spacey-girl blushed bright red and adverted her eyes.

"I-I saw the address on the computer in the school office", she mumbled. She fiddled with the tissue in her hand and looked at the darkness outside the window.

"It's getting late, I should probably go home now", she said, standing up. "Thanks, for everything"

"No problem", said Will cheerfully, jumping up, ready to show her to the front door.

Nico cast a glance towards the darkness outside, making a decision that was he was probably going to regret later.

"I can bring you home. Just tell me where you live"

Will's eyes got wide and he started shaking his head. Spacey-girl looked confused. "You got a car?"

Nico shook his head and explained shortly about shadow-travel. Will started protesting halfway through, saying that Nico already used too much of his power today.

"Uhh...if it tires you so much, then I should better walk. It's not far", Gina interrupted.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine"

"If you say so", she muttered and grabbed Nico's arm.

Nico fought the urge to pull back and asked her about her address again.

"Nico, you know what happened last time you shadow-traveled too much!", Will said.

"Yeah, but last time was like half a year ago and with more people and over a longer time span. I'll be fine", Nico said, trying to calm Will down and stop him from worrying.

Will huffed and still didn't look convinced, but he nodded. He leaned forward and gave Nico a peck on the lips. "You better not die on me, Death Boy"

Said boy rolled his eyes. "Stop being over dramatic, Solace"

The son of Hades glanced at Gina, who was a deep shade of red and looked a bit shocked, before pulling her into the nearest shadow. Gina shrieked and wrapped herself tightly around Nico's arm as they melted into the darkness.


	11. Akemi knows her mythology

**Chapter 11**

Cereal had never tasted as good as it did that morning.

"Where do you get that stuff?", Nico asked Spacey-girl, who was sat in front of him, mouth full with her cereal.

She shrugged and swallowed. "No idea, my Mom buys it"

Nico looked around in the small kitchen. "Where are your parents anyway?"

"Mom had a night shift last night, so she is probably sleeping. Dad is in Washington for the week."

She took another spoonful of cereal.

"What about yours?", she asked.

Nico stiffened. He didn't like to talk about his mother, especially not to a girl he knew for three days.

"My dad is busy being a god", was all he said.

"Must be cool, being a demigod and all", Gina mused.

"Not in the slightest. Yes, you get some awesome powers, but you are in constant danger of being attacked by monsters. Also, powers are only cool as long as they don't kill yourself"

Gina stared at him.

"Oh. You mean monsters like A-Andy?", she asked.

Nico nodded, finishing with his cereal.

"You know, the mother of my stepmother is like the goddess of cereal. She forces me to eat it all the time, so I hate it. But this one is really good", he said.

Spacey-girl gaped, but regained control over her facial muscles fast enough.

"Sorry", she said. "This whole gods-thing is still hard to grasp. You live with your godly family, then?"

"Thankfully not. Demigods live in special camps, protecting them from monsters. Gods aren't allowed to really interact with us, but my Dad was never good at following the rules"

Spacey-girl nodded silently, probably thinking about what Nico had said. Then her gaze landed on the clock on the wall . "Oh shit! We have to go, or we'll be late for school!"

* * *

They arrived at the school the same time Will did. And Paul. And Akemi. Somehow they managed to stumble into each other at the front gate.

"Nico! You nearly scared me to death! Are you completely stupid? You can't just have Gina IM me to tell me you are sleeping at hers", Will started yelling as soon as he laid eyes on the son of Hades.

Paul, who just helped Akemi off the floor, was looking at the three of them strangely.

"Where were you after lunch? You promised to meet up with me", he asked Nico.

Oh well, seems like they totally forgot about him.

"We had some stuff to clear up with a part of our family, you see, and that took the whole afternoon", explained Will hastily and turned back towards his boyfriend. Crossing his arms and setting on his best death glare, he tried to stare the smaller boy down.

"What are you doing, Will?", the son of Hades asked, not impressed.

Akemi giggled. "You look like you have to poop", she said.

Gina started giggling too and soon the two girls were laughing at Will's pout.

"Get out of the way, stupids", a high pitched girl's voice sounded from behind the group. A slightly overdressed girl came walking towards them, a bit wobbly on the high heels. Gina made a face.

"Is that Hannah Gordon?", asked Akemi shocked.

"Yeah", muttered Gina.

"Haven't seen her in a while.", she said, not sounding too enthusiastic.

That Hannah-Character didn't seem to notice her, she was openly staring at Will now. Nico narrowed his eyes slightly. Why was half the school out to flirt with his boyfriend?

"Hey there, Hot Stuff", Hannah said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Forget it Hanna, he's taken", Gina hissed at her.

Akemi raised her eyebrows at her.

"By you? Don't make me laugh. What are you doing with the losers anyway?", Hannah said, eyeing Nico, Akemi and Paul distastefully.

Now it was Will's turn to narrow his eyes. "What did you just say?", he asked.

Hannah was clearly surprised at that, but covered it with a mask of confidence.

"I said they are losers, Hottie", she snarled.

Before Will could punch his first mortal since discovering he was a demigod, Nico grabbed his elbow and pulled him towards the school.

"She's not worth another detention", he whispered. "What got you so angry, anyway?"

Will send the girl a icy glare over his shoulder. "She was calling my friends 'losers'. Nobody calls my friends that"

Paul was by now walking next to them. "You consider us your friends?", he asked surprised.

"Yeah, your a nice guy. Why shouldn't I?"

Paul shrugged. "It's just that...I didn't have any friends since Mary", he said, getting more quiet at the end.

Akemi chose that moment to fall into step with the boys, Spacey-girl right behind her.

"So, you two are together?", she asked, looking between Nico and Will.

"Yes", answered Gina for both of them.

Paul stared at her. "How did she find out?"

"Long story", gave Nico as an answer.

They reached their lockers. "See you later. Thanks for letting me crash at yours, Gina", Nico said, before he turned towards his locker, opening it.

"No problem.", he heard from Gina as she left towards her group of friends.

Nico pulled out 'To kill a Mockingbird', realizing he still hadn't done his homework. Maybe he would find time before second period? He put the small book in his bag, which Will kindly brought him, and searched for the history textbook.

"Hey there, your name's Will, right?", asked a voice suddenly.

Nico nearly answered with a 'no', when he realized, that the question wasn't directed at him. A girl stood at the other side of his locker door, facing his boyfriend.

"Cool, I'm Riley.", the girl said.

"Nice to meet you", muttered Will, not really paying any attention.

"I was wondering, do you have time on Friday? My parents are out of town and there's gonna be a party. I would like it if you would come"

"Yeah, sure. I'll think about it"

Finding his textbook, Nico slammed the locker door shut, shocking the girl next to him. Will send him a bemused look, before diving back into his own locker. The girl, Riley, glared at Nico, but turned back towards the blonde boy.

"If your interested, just come to this address", Riley said, handing a piece of paper to Will, who took it with a fake smile.

Riley's breath hitched for a second, before she started grinning like crazy and dashed down the hallway. Nico turned towards the taller boy.

"I think, she thinks, you like her."

"To much thinking for my taste", Will muttered, shutting his locker. "You ready for the trip to the pool this afternoon?"

Nico looked at Will confused. "What are you even talking about?"

"You don't know?", now it was Will's turn to look confused.

"Know what, Will? Tell me or I will hurt you", Nico threatened.

"As if you could do that", Will snorted.

Nico glared at him. Will gulped.

"Yeah, you could totally do that." He took a step backwards, trying to get away from Nico's Death Glare. "The is a trip to the local pool this afternoon. Just us 10th graders. It's gonna be awesome"

"No it's not", said Nico.

The gong sounded, showing the boys that there were only five minutes left until the school would begin. Will started of towards their homeroom, Nico following close behind.

"What do you mean with 'It's not'?", Will asked quietly, as they entered the room.

"First of all, I'm a son of Hades, so Poseidon hates me", Nico whispered, sitting down. "Second, I don't really like, you know,...", he trailed of, fiddling with his shirt.

He absolutely hated it to walk around without a shirt, which was kinda normal when going swimming.

Will nodded in understanding. "Sorry, I forgot."

"You were just so excited to go swimming again", Nico finished for him.

"Yeah", Will looked a bit sheepish.

Nico listened to their teacher talking to the different students again. "You think I can ask, if I can drop out?"

* * *

He couldn't. Nico considered just skipping it and watching 'Alice in Wonderland' at the apartment instead, but Paul talked him out of it. Something about already missing last afternoon and not being allowed to skip lessons.

They sat in History again, Gina having dragged over her friend Betty, or something, and listening closely to their teacher rambling about different heroes in Ancient Rome. Once in a while he got something wrong and Nico considered jumping up and shouting at him for getting the facts wrong and insulting his birthright. He didn't do it, mostly because it would draw to much attention and questions towards him, partly because he was to lazy to stand up. Didn't keep him from muttering profanities in Italian under his breath, though.

Gina, having starting taking notes, crossed whatever the teacher said out, as soon as Nico started talking quietly. She seemed to trust him more than her teacher. Betty was completely shocked by her friends behavior, and shook her head at her in regular intervals.

Akemi was watching her thoughtfully, probably trying to figure out, why Gina took a sudden interest in mythology.

Nico meanwhile had found a folded piece of paper between the pages of his textbook. The paper made him curious, so he pulled it out and unfolded it. 'We are having a serious talk about staying over at some girl's house later.', was written in Will's handwriting, followed by an angry emoji.

Nico rolled his eyes at the paper. It wasn't like he wanted to stay there, but he was just too tired to make the trip back home, so Gina had offered her couch. He still didn't like her that much, even after an interesting morning together.

He crumbled the note, contemplating whether he could burn it up without anyone noticing. The teacher was currently busy writing something about Theseus and the Labyrinth on the board, something Nico didn't want to think about. The other students were either taking notes or silently talking to each other, so they weren't focused on him either. Instantly the note erupted into black flames, which ate the paper up fast, before extinguishing again. All left was a small pile of ash in the palm of his hand. He wiped it at his pants and looked up to find Gina gaping at him.

"You...just...", she stammered.

Nico raised his finger to his lips, an universal sign for _Keep quiet_.

Gina got the hint, nodded slightly and turned back towards the board.

"Mr. di Angelo, now that your done with flirting with Ms. Spacey, care to answer my question?", the teacher called, making Gina a bright red. Some of the students snickered. Nico snorted silently at being called out for 'flirting'. As if.

"What is your question?", he asked.

"What was the way for Theseus to find back out of the Labyrinth?", the teacher asked, obviously sure that Nico couldn't answer that correctly. Either he had forgot the last lesson or it was a trick question, one you couldn't answer right. But Nico had wandered the Labyrinth, heck he practically killed it. He knew first hand how to get through it. Both ways.

"There are two ways", he started, shocking the teacher quite a bit. "One is with the string of Ariadne, a string that leads back to the opening of the Labyrinth. It's from Ariadne, obviously. The other is with the help of a mortal, who could see things others didn't"

He was careful not to talk about the Mist, something historians didn't know of. Gina shot him a look at the last bit.

"Theseus used the string of Ariadne", Nico finished, watching the teacher blinking in astonishment.

"That is correct", he muttered and turned slowly towards his board.

Gina leaned over the aisle.

"Would I be able to help Theseus through the Labyrinth?", she whispered.

Nico nodded shortly, not willing to go into detail. His explanation had awoken some memories he didn't want to have. Hannah saved him.

"What has this to do with history?", she asked in her annoyingly high voice. "These gods weren't real. Neither was Tesuss, or whatever his name is"

The teacher smiled at her. "This is correct," Here Nico gritted his teeth. "But we are learning about the culture of the ancient times, when gods were still a big part in society. To understand their culture, we have to learn about their gods and heroes, even if they weren't real"

Surprisingly it was Akemi who let out a quiet growl at this. Nico stared at the back of her head, until the Japanese girl turned around.

"What?", she whisper-yelled at him.

"Nothing", said Nico, forcing himself to look somewhere else.

Akemi just behaved a bit suspicious, he would have to talk with Will about it later.

* * *

In Chemistry Nico found himself between some bulky guy and a dark skinned, petite girl. They were supposed to be partners. Nico desperately wanted to sit with Will and Paul, but both were in groups on the other side of the classroom. The girl and the guy chatted away, happily ignoring the Italian sitting at the same desk. Not that it bothered Nico, he was really grateful, that they didn't try to talk with him.

He focused on his part of the partner work. Silently he filled out his worksheet, hoping that the two other guys would do the experiment correctly. He had no intention on doing that for them too.

Suddenly the conversation turned into a different direction.

"Do you think, we'll be able to play game of water ball later?", the girl asked.

The boy shrugged. "I don't really care about that. As long as Hannah shows up in her bikini"

"You're disgusting, Brad", the girl said, turning away from him.

"You're just jealous", snickered Brad.

"Of Hannah? Oh, please no. Hannah has nothing I could be jealous of"

"Except for a good figure"

The girl scowled and punched him in the arm. Brad started laughing.

Nico focused back on his work, it wasn't interesting anymore. He hoped, that they maybe knew how to drop out of this swimming thing, but apparently not.

Finally the conversation came to an end and they started with the experiment.

"Hannah probably won't show up, anyway", said the girl, while lighting the bunsen burner. "It's a wonder she's in school today. When was the last time, last week?"

Brad nodded and then looked at Nico. "You want to help any time soon?"

Nico lifted the worksheet. "I already did my part"

The two of them stared at him for a second.

"How long did we chat?", asked the girl.

"About thirty minutes? I would start now, before the lesson is over", he advised, nodding to the clock above the door.

"Oh damn", said Brad and went to work.

Nico was left in his thoughts about the trip to the pool. That was going to be horrible.


	12. Hannah gets dumped

**Chapter 12**

After eating lunch on the tables outside the cafeteria, the 10th graders were expected to come to the parking lot, where three yellow school buses stood.

Paul and Akemi were chatting happily about the trip, as they lead the way. Gina and Betty were following them a bit behind, Betty still confused, as to why Gina was suddenly hanging around them. Nico considered just bolting, but one of the chaperones was his teacher in History, so he already knew, that Nico was there. If he didn't want detention again, he should go.

"You look like somebody just died", commented Paul suddenly.

Nico frowned, but didn't say anything. He looked completely different when somebody just died.

"Hey, you wanna go to the movies on Friday? 'Thor' just started last week and I would really love to see it", asked Akemi, having turned around and was now walking backwards.

Nico still wasn't really sure, what to make of Akemi's behavior in History. She seemed to have a connection to the mythological world, but Nico wasn't sure which one. If she was indeed a demigod, then that wouldn't make sense. He knew every demigod in Camp Half-Blood and he was pretty sure they knew him too. She couldn't be Roman because she didn't have any tattoos on her forearm. They weren't allowed to leave in the middle of the year anyway. So, yes, Akemi was a little mystery.

"I would like to go, waited ages for that movie", Paul said excited.

Akemi smiled at him and turned to Will and Nico.

"I guess? Why not", said Will.

He had a smile plastered on his face, but underneath he looked like he had no idea, what 'Thor' was.

"Don't you have a date on Friday?", asked Nico.

Will blushed bright red, the other two looked at him confused.

"That's not a date!", he nearly yelled, then stopped when Nico started laughing.

"You're stupid", he grumbled and started walking again.

"What are you talking about?", asked Paul, looking from Nico to Will.

"Some Riley-girl asked him to come to her party"

"Riley?", came a new voice from behind them. It was Betty. "She always has the best parties. It's a big honor to get invited to one, I myself have only been like once"

"We all wanted to know that so desperately", muttered Nico, quietly enough for Betty not to hear.

Akemi caught it anyway and grinned at him.

"Okay then", said Paul. "Let's go before the buses are all gone"

Nico wished they were long gone, but no such luck.

* * *

"You don't want to be here", observed Akemi, when they walked towards the big building.

"How did you know?", Nico asked sarcastically.

"I can understand, it's stupid from the teachers to force us to walk around, showing of our bodies, when some students aren't comfortable with theirs."

Nico was still impressed how good Akemi was at reading people. She looked him up and down.

"But I don't think you've got anything to worry about", she said, giving him an encouraging smile.

That didn't help. It wasn't the build of his body he worried about.

They entered the building, the humid air making it hard to breathe normally.

"See you later", Akemi said, skipping of towards a door on the right, following a group of giggling girls.

Paul appeared next to Nico, babbling about Hades knows what. He dragged him off towards the door on the left. Nico thought about telling the teacher, that he didn't have his stuff with him, but he saw him nowhere, so there was nothing Nico could do except changing into his black swim trunks.

He stared down at the thin white lines going up and down his torso. Whenever he went swimming in the lake at camp, they didn't bother him. Everyone in camp had some. But here he would be the odd one out. He didn't want to know what some of the mortals were going to think when they saw his scars.

He stopped at that thought. Since when did he care what other people thought about him?

He decided to not care. It was his body and he was fine with it, to Tartarus with the opinion of some mortals. They should try to go through two wars without getting a scratch.

With new confidence he left the small changing room, heading out towards the pool. On the way there he ran into Will, who was chatting with Gina. Gina was more focused on Will's chest, to actually listen. Nico couldn't blame her, Will did look good. Tan, with a nearly perfect six-pack, blonde messy hair, freakishly tall and those annoying blue eyes. Not to forget the freckles that were literally everywhere.

Will turned towards Nico, grinning like crazy.

"I'm not sure I want to know what's up", the son of Hades told him.

Will let out a small laugh. Gina could finally detach her eyes from Will's body, looking over at Nico, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

She eyed his werewolf scratches for a second, before saying: "Will I get hot too, now that I'm part of the mythological world? Or is that reserved for demigods?"

Will burst out laughing at Nico's baffled face. Gina scowled at him, thinking it was directed at her.

"What?", she snapped "That was a legitimate question"

"It's not that.", Will told her, still snickering. "Your fa-face"

He doubled over, clutching his stomach, laughing. Gina turned back to Nico, who was still staring at her weirdly.

"What?", he asked, completely confused.

Gina started giggling too, ignoring Nico. Nico huffed, slightly red in the face.

"I'm gonna find Paul", he told her, ignoring Will who was now laying on the wet floor.

Paul was in the swimming hall, sitting next to Akemi on a bench. Akemi was wearing a bright red bikini with white polka dots, Paul had on dark blue swimming trunks. Both looked up when Nico arrived. Before they could say anything the two teachers arrived and rounded the students up around them. Shortly they explained some rules. No running on wet floor, no dunking other students, no pulling on clothes, no fighting. The usual. Then they were allowed to do what they wanted.

In an instant the huge group of teens split up. Some girls ventured to a group of deck chairs, others were starting a game of water ball, some boys started pushing each other into the water and a different group of pupils was having a water fight. All in all, they were all enjoying the trip to the pool.

"Oh, oh I want to jump down from there!", Will exclaimed, startling Nico a bit.

He looked where the son of Apollo pointed. "No"

"But-"

"No. I'm not jumping from the diving platform"

"Pleeeeeeeaseeee". Will gave him the puppy dog eyes.

"You can jump down there on your own. Without me"

Will sighed. "Fine" He pouted.

"Go ahead. Hopefully you break your neck", Nico said, turning away from him, still a bit angry at Will.

Will perked up. "That rhymed!"

Nico rolled his eyes. Leave it to Will to notice that. Paul had his 'I'm weirded out by you'-look on his face, Akemi just raised an eyebrow. Nico noticed that Gina wasn't with them. He looked around a bit, searching for her. He found her together with Betty and some of their other friends lounging in the bubbly water at the side of the pool. When he turned back towards his friends, he noticed that Will and Paul were gone.

"They are at the diving platform", explained Akemi without being asked. "What do you wanna do?"

Nico shrugged, not having the slightest idea. Akemi grinned, grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the diving platform. Instead of going up, they waited downstairs.

Suddenly one of the boys in the pool got an idea: "Diving tournament!"

Some voices yelled their approval.

"That's going to be interesting", muttered Akemi, pulling Nico out of the way, as a horde of teens came running past them.

That was the second rule broken. Nico was sure it wouldn't take long for the others to be forgotten too.

Will leaned over railing on the 5m platform, the second highest, Paul was on the 3m.

"What are the rules?", he yelled down.

Paul looked up at him like he was crazy, which he probably was. Nico still wasn't sure about that.

The boy whose idea it had been looked thoughtful for a minute. Then he said: "Different categories and rounds. Every round the worst five get voted out. We start with the 1m platform and get all the way higher until the 7,5m"

He looked proud of himself. The others roared in approval.

"Who is the judge?", asked a girl, standing at the back of the group.

"We can do that", said a voice.

Everyone turned towards Hannah, who was standing in a group of girls. They all had too much make-up on for somebody who wanted to go swimming. Or every normal person in general. Their bikinis all looked a size too small and some of them looked around in disgust.

Some of the boys muttered in agreement, while most of the girls protested, saying that Hannah wasn't a fair judge.

"How about I'm judge?", spoke Akemi, drawing all the attention to the two of them.

"You two?", asked a boy.

"What about 'I' don't you understand?", asked Nico.

Some of the group chuckled at that, the boy looked taken aback.

"Oi, Nico! Stop scaring the kids!", yelled Will from the top of the platform.

Now all of them looked angrily at Will, while Nico just shook his head sadly. Will was hopeless.

"Back to the topic!", snapped Akemi.

Hannah gave her a disgusted look. "No-one wants you as judge, geek"

"Children, please, stop fighting", pleaded the female chaperone.

Everyone ignored her.

"Piss off, Hannah. No-one wants _you_ here.", said Gina, having come over to see the contest.

"Does it look like I want to be here?", Hannah asked her.

"Well maybe you should to start coming to fucking school, then. It's your fault you have to repeat every year thrice", Gina shot back.

Hannah gasped. Her 'friends' shot her a look, before giggling.

"Burn", muttered one of them.

"Oh shut up, Spacegirl, it's not like your are anything special", Hannah scoffed.

That seemed to hit a sore spot, but Gina quickly covered it up. For a second she looked ready to punch Hannah, then she straightened up. She stomped towards Hannah and looked her straight in the face.

"That's where you're wrong, Gordon. I'm more special than you will ever be", she hissed.

Then she shoved her backwards. Hannah stumbled over a shadow on the floor, which was there by total accident, and landed with a SPLASH in the water. What attracted most of the attention, however, was Gina herself, looking angry and holding Hannah's bikini top. How she got hold of it no-one knew exactly, not even Gina herself apparently. (Nico later learned, that Gina held Hannah at the band which was really loose). Abruptly Gina whirled around and stomped towards the exit. Dumping the bikini top in a trash can next to it, she disappeared from sight.

It was silent for a second, then Hannah's started screaming in the water. No-one made any move to help her, not even her 'friends'.

Finally the female chaperone ran towards her and Hannah wrapped herself in a towel, before fleeing from sight. At once the whole swimming hall erupted in howling laughter. Will nearly fell from the platform, which is why Nico chuckled too. Not because of Hannah. That wasn't even that funny.

The other teacher tried to calm them down, but didn't succeed. In the end he sat down and read a book.

* * *

SPLASH.

Nico was showered with water, as a big girl made a jump from the 3m platform. They were currently competing in the category 'Big Bang', the first of three.

You had to jump down, landing in a way, that made the loudest sound and biggest water shower. Right now, the girl was having really good changes. They had decided to only jump from the 3m and 1m platforms, because everything higher wasn't made for these kind of jumps. It would hurt too much and could be dangerous.

Betty, Brad, Nico and Akemi sat on the poolside, feet dangling in the water. Somehow they had gotten Nico to be judge too.

Will was coming over to them, having been voted out in round two. Paul was still competing. Even with his small body size he could make them all wet.

Some of the other students where cheering on a girl out of the popular clique. She was climbing the stairs towards the platform. Up there she took a deep breath, before starting to sprint. With a squeal she catapulted herself into the air. Nico was showered in water again, shaking his head to get the water out of his hair.

"Take her into the next round", said Betty.

Brad shook his head. "I'm for Pippa for the next round"

Akemi nodded and looked at Nico. "So three votes for Pippa and one for Jenny. Pippa it is"

Akemi stood up, calling for some silence. She shortly named everyone who was in the next round, then sat down again.

Will sat down next to Akemi. The first one of the students was on top of the platform already, preparing for his jump. It went on like that for a while, until the winner, Pippa, was proclaimed. The girl was bouncing around happily, her friends celebrating with her. Some of the others grumbled about her, but no-one said anything bad, which was good.

Betty stood up. "Next round is 'Tumble Tumble'. Whoever makes the best somersaults wins. Round one is 3m."

"I'm so winning that", proclaimed Will, jumping up and running towards the platform. He slipped on the way, face-planting on the floor. Nico winced at that. Will didn't let that stop him, though, as he stood up again and walked a bit slower.

The first few jumps weren't that impressive. One landed flat on his back and everybody winced. His concerned girlfriend swam over, comforting him.

Jenny was second to last, getting ready to sprint again. She performed a perfect somersault, followed by a half-turn, before landing in the water.

"She is a gymnast", explained Betty to the other three.

"I would have nothing against a gymnast in my bed", Brad sighed dreamily.

Akemi shot him a disgusted look and Nico rolled his eyes. Why were teenagers always so immature?

* * *

About two hours and a full out water fight with half the students (where some of the guys lost their clothing in and so the last rule was broken) later, Nico stood outside the swimming pool, waiting for Jules-Albert to pick them up. It would have been easier, if they had their car there and not parked outside their apartment building.

Will was constantly looking after something, but Nico didn't ask what it was. The first two times he had been ignored.

He let himself fall on a low stone wall and started playing with the hem of his shirt. Will groaned in frustration.

"What is it?", Nico asked, again.

"She's not here", Will sighed and sat down.

"She?"

"Gina. I'm worried about her. What if she gets expelled or something?"

Nico frowned. "Why would you think that?"

"It wasn't exactly the nicest thing to do, even if Hannah totally deserved it."

"You found it hilarious", Nico pointed out.

Will shot him a look. "You were laughing too. Anyway, some people might not like it, Hannah's parents for example, and would like to see Gina punished. The Gordons are a rich family with people in the school board"

"How do you even know that?"

"I actually listen to the people around me", Will said.

"You mean, you like to gossip"

"That, too"

Jules-Albert chose that moment to drive on the parking lot. He came to a stop right in front of the boys.

"Finally", Nico said and jumped up.

He desperately wanted to get somewhere warm. The water had sucked any body warmth he ever possessed out of him.


	13. Will plays doctor for himself

**Chapter 13**

"What are you doing?" Nico stared at the lump covered completely by the blanket.

"I'm cold", came the muffled response.

The second the two boys entered the flat, Will had dived under the blanket of their bed, still in the same clothes as today in school.

"You wont get any air down there", Nico told Will.

The lump shifted a bit. Will peaked out from under the blanket, just enough to get air.

"You want to change into more comfortable and warmer clothes, maybe?", Nico suggested.

Will looked thoughtful for a second, before nodding and disappearing back under the blanket.

"You can't change down there"

"I know. But it's too cold to go outside", Will replied, curling into a ball.

"It's May"

Will appeared again, glaring at Nico. "It's still cold."

Then he sneezed. Will looked at himself horrified, before looking up again. "Am I getting sick?", he asked.

"Seems like it"

"But...but...I'm a son of Apollo...I can't get _sick_ " Will said the last word with so much distaste, that it was nearly funny.

"Everybody gets sick once in a while.", Nico assured him.

Will still looked horrified. "How about I get you some warm soup?"

Will looked towards him suspiciously. "How warm?", he asked slowly.

"Really warm."

Will nodded slowly. "Let me think about it"

Then he dived back under the blanket. After he didn't come up after a while, Nico got worried.

"Will?", he asked.

No answer. Well, that's not good. At all.

Nico approached the bed and lifted the blanket up. Under it lay Will, curled up in a ball, sleeping peacefully. Nico shook him awake. Abruptly Will sat up, slamming his forehead against Nico's.

"Ow!", muttered Will, rubbing his head. Then he scowled at his boyfriend. "What was that for?"

"You fell asleep", Nico told him, getting up from the bed and handing him the blanket back.

Will instantly pulled it up to his nose. "What's so bad about it? Sick people need sleep", grumbled the son of Apollo.

"You fell asleep under the blanket"

Will looked shocked for a second. "Thanks, then. For saving my life"

Nico just nodded. He turned towards the closet, pulling out one of Will's sweatshirts. He threw it towards the other boy. "Put that on. I will get you some soup." He turned towards the door. Halfway out, he turned back towards Will. "And don't go back under the blanket."

Will blushed a bit, but nodded.

* * *

"You're really hot", Nico said, lifting his hand from Will's forehead.

"Thanks. You're too", Will told him, happily slurping his soup.

Nico blushed a bright red. "I-I didn't mean that", he stammered. "Your temperature is really...high."

"Oh", Will said. "You're still hot, though" He went back to eating.

Nico got even more red. That was the second time today and Nico still didn't get why people told him that.

"You think I have a fever?", asked Will after a while.

"I don't know. You're the doctor, not me"

"But I can't be the doctor for myself...or can I?" Will looked deep in thought.

Nico just shrugged.

"We could try", Will mused and lifted his hand.

It started glowing faintly and Will slapped it against his forehead. Nico wanted to ask, what he was doing, but decided against it. Will looked like he was concentrating on something.

"Whoa! That's so weird", Will muttered and lifted his hand again.

"I have a fever, alright", he told Nico and went back to eating.

"Okay", said Nico slowly, not sure what to make of Will at the moment.

"What are we doing this evening?", Will asked, after he finished his soup.

He turned his head towards Nico, who was looking at him strangely.

"What? I got something on my face?"

Nico snorted. "Actually, yes"

He reached forward and wiped some soup from Will's chin. Will was a bit pink in the face.

"And today is the parent's evening at school", Nico answered his earlier question.

"This is going to be fun to watch", Will laughed.

"You're not watching anything tonight. You're staying in bed", Nico told him.

"But-"

"No! You are sick, you are staying in bed."

Will pouted and crossed his arms. Then he sniffed and turned his head away from Nico.

"Fine. You enjoy the hilarity that is Jules-Albert scaring mortals. On your own. Without me"

Nico sighed annoyed. "Why are you so childish sometimes?", he asked.

Will scowled at him and turned his head away again. "Good bye, Nico"

Nico shook his head, before standing up and leaving the room. Why did Will want to watch Jules-Albert so much? He didn't think, that the zombie was exactly funny or anything. Talking of which, he needed to tell the zombie about his new profession.

* * *

"Did you get everything?", asked Nico after an hour of explaining the situation to Jules-Albert.

"Qui, Monsieur Nico", was the answer.

"Yeah...no. What did I tell you about calling me 'monsieur'?"

"To not call you that"

"Exactly"

Jules-Albert was silent for a while. After Nico was certain, he wouldn't say anything anymore, he just nodded. Jules-Albert stiffly turned around and walked out of the door. Hopefully towards the school.

"This is going to end so bad", muttered Nico, looking after his retreating form.

Suddenly, something poked him in the ribs. Nico stiffened slightly, before his battle reflexes kicked in. He whirled around, grabbing whose ever arm was there, bending it sideways and slamming the body face first on the floor. Pressing his knee on the back of the person, he held them down.

"Ow", grunted a familiar voice.

Nico widened his eyes, as he took in, who was laying on the floor under him.

"What are you doing, Will?", Nico snapped.

Everybody, especially the son of Apollo, knew to never creep up to the son of Hades. Somebody would get harmed.

Will didn't answer, just growled a bit, which was a bit strange. A light knock sounded on the door frame, but both boys ignored it.

"Seriously Will, don't do that", Nico said, starting to get up.

Will seemingly had other plans. He hooked a food behind Nico's right leg, pulling him down and flipping them around. Nico hid his head against the floor and blinked, his vision for a second unfocused. Will was grinning at him, looking a bit like Leo on too much sugar. Nico scowled and tried to get up. He tried to push Will off him with his hand, but the taller boy didn't move. He just started laughing. Nico growled and kicked him in the shin. Will's grin wavered for a second, before it was back in place.

"What, too weak to fight against a sick boy?", he asked.

Nico narrowed his eyes. Nobody called him weak.

"Get off me, Solace", he hissed, but Will just shook his head.

It was time for more drastic measures. Nico reached into the nearest shadow, which was his own, and pulled out his Stygian Iron sword. Will gulped when he laid eyes on it.

"Get off me", Nico said.

Will shook his head again, eyeing the blade warily. Nico rolled his eyes. He had known this would happen. In a blink of an eye the blade was under Will's chin.

"Off. Now", Nico hissed, staring Will dead in the eye, daring him to refuse.

Will's eyes were blown wide and he slowly pushed himself up.

"Okay, okay. No need to kill me", Will said and held up his hands in a defensive gesture.

Nico scowled and clambered to his feet.

"As I said before don't do that", he muttered, lowering his sword.

He didn't expect, what was happening next. He could hear a bowstring being drawn. His head snapped around, eyes widening on the side before him. Akemi was standing in their doorway, which was still open from Jules-Albert's departure, holding a bow in her hands, an arrow ready to fire. The arrowhead shimmered in a golden tone, indicating that it was Imperial Gold.

"Who are you?", she asked, her tone dangerously low. She had her arrow fixed on Nico's had, glaring at the sword in his hands.

"Or better. What are you?"

Nico stared at her confused. Did she think they were monsters? And how in Hades did she know about all of this? Where did she get the bow from? So many questions whirled around in his head, not knowing the answer to any of them.

The silence was interrupted by a sneeze. "Bless you", mumbled Akemi, before her eyes widened, realizing, what she just said.

"Answer me!", she yelled.

"Oi, keep it down, will you", came a shout from somewhere in the hallway.

Nico flicked his hand, willing the shadows to shut the door. Akemi jumped slightly, when the door slammed shut. She risked a glance over her shoulder, before fixing her eyes back on the two demigods in front of her. Her eyes widened, fear evident in them.

Nico glanced over at Will, whose new bow was out, the arrow looking a bit more deadlier than Akemi's.

"We could ask you the same thing", he told her.

Confusion flickered over her face, before setting up a mask of confidence. "Why should I tell you, a bunch of monsters? You will be dead before you can say _legatum_ " The translation 'legacy' popped into Nico's head. He spend way too much time at Camp Jupiter with Hazel and Reyna if he already translated Latin with no problem.

Akemi fired her arrow. Nico managed to slash it of the air.

"Damn it, Akemi. Stop firing at us.", Will yelped.

"Why should I?", Akemi hissed, as she knocked another arrow.

"If you're a Roman legacy, as you said, then it is the one of the biggest crimes to shoot your allies", Nico replied.

"What? How did you understand what I said?"

"Yeah, Nico, how did you understand what she said?", whispered Will confused.

"I spend way too much time at Camp Jupiter.", he gave as an explanation to both of them.

"You're a legacy, too?", asked Akemi, lowering her bow a bit. Nico mentally shook his head. Never lower your defense when facing off with a possible threat. Apparently her parents didn't teach her anything.

"Actually, we are demigods", answered Will for him.

"But...you don't have any marks. And you aren't allowed to leave during your time in the legion and you aren't old enough to have finished it yet. How can you possibly be demigods?"

"We are Greek", explained Will.

"Greek?", shrieked Akemi. Suddenly her bow was up again, eyes hardening to stone. "Greeks are the enemies. How dare you enter Camp and New Rome and claim yourself my ally! I will have to kill you for that, Graecus scum!"

"Whoa! I thought we're friends?", exclaimed Will, holding up his hands in a Keep Calm gesture.

"Friends?", asked Akemi. She sounded unsure for a second, before regaining her posture. "No. Your kin destroyed New Rome, you have to pay for that"

Will looked at her dumbstruck. Nico was also surprised, didn't Akemi know, that the Greeks and Romans had made peace? Slowly he took a step forward, lowering his sword a bit.

"Do you know, what happened last summer?", he asked.

"Of course, my parents told me all about it. You Greeks blew up New Rome and the Romans started following you across the US, finally marching towards your sad excuse of a camp.", she scoffed at the word 'camp', making Will grit his teeth. "There was a huge battle against some Gaea person and the Romans came home, celebrating their victory."

"Do you even know who Gaea was?", snapped Will. He looked furious about this whole thing, ready to let go of the bowstring. Nico send him a worried glance, hoping he would calm down again. They didn't need another death on their conscience.

"Well, it's a Greek name, so probably your leader or something. But the Romans killed them and the rest of the Greeks with them", Akemi said.

Will gasped at the thought of Gaea being their leader, while Nico just shuddered.

"Not in a million years", he said.

"What?", asked Akemi confused. "You don't think the Romans are strong enough to wipe you out? Apparently they were"

Something inside Will snapped. The temperature of the room rose a few degrees, and the lighting got brighter.

"You have no idea what happened last summer, so don't pretend you do! You know nothing, absolutely nothing, about this whole war, so shut the fuck up!", he yelled.

He looked ready to murder her at this point and if this kept up, it wouldn't be surprising if there was one legacy less tomorrow. Nico couldn't let that happen. Akemi was his friend, even if she was currently pissing him of. Said girl was looking at his boyfriend in shock.

"Wha-what? A war? What are you talking about?", she sounded confused, her eyes darting all over the place, trying to figure out what was going on.

Nico ignored her, turning towards his boyfriend instead. Will's gaze was fixed on Akemi, sending death glares (really good ones at that) at her, blue eyes sparkling angrily.

"Will, calm down", Nico hissed.

Will shook his head furiously. "If she says one more word I'm going to kill her", he snapped back.

He looked dead serious. And furious. Not a good mixture.

Nico stepped towards him and slowly pushed down his arm holding the bow. "You wont kill her."

"She deserves it. She insults us, talks about things she knows nothing about and accuses us of aiding with Gaea. Oh, and she is pissing me off!", was the answer.

"No, she doesn't. You can't just kill her because she pisses you off.", Nico replied.

By now Akemi was listening into their conversation.

"You're one to talk", Will said and focused back on the girl in front of him.

"What?", asked Nico.

He didn't understand what Will just meant. Well, he did, sort of, but Will wouldn't say _that_ , right?

"You know exactly what I mean", Will snapped, furious gaze now landing on his boyfriend.

Nico's eyes widened. Oh gods, he was talking about _it_.

"That's still no reason to-"

"Oh, it isn't?", asked Will sarcastically. "Well, next time you give advice, try keeping to it yourself."

"I...But...That was different", Nico stammered. He wasn't exactly sure what happened, but suddenly Will was angry at _him_.

" _It_ was? I'm not sure which 'it' you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned 'it' happened at least three times!"

Nico felt like he was just punched in the face. He took a step backwards, staring at Will in shock. He tried to tell himself that Will was just angry, that he didn't mean it, but it didn't work. Will meant every word he just said and that hurt. A lot. Nico actually thought that Will accepted it, accepted him, but apparently not. Well, what sane person is fine with murder? It was stupid to think Will, a healer, a boy who saved people from death, would be fine with it.

Apparently said healer wasn't done yet.

"Daedalus I can actually understand, one of my brothers died because of him, but the others? You just killed them because they pissed you off, except maybe Leo, he was just collateral damage.", Will spat out the last sentence.

Nico's breath stopped. He felt like something just snapped apart inside. How could Will say something like that? Nico had never meant for Leo to get hurt. That wasn't even his fault, Octavian launched himself into the air. 'That's not true', singsonged a voice at the back of his mind. 'It's your fault and you know it.' That was probably the worst part of it all. Will was right and both of them knew it.

Nico could feel the shadows around him, they weren't many, because it was still awfully bright in the room, but enough to get away. The question was, did he want to go? One part, a tiny little part, of him wanted to stay and yell at Will, to tell him to screw himself and maybe punch him. The rest of Nico just felt hurt, dejected, exhausted and angry. Hurt because of the way Will just shouted at him and told him how awful he was. Dejected because he knew it was true and that Will probably hated him. Exhausted because this whole conflict was draining him, because he felt empty inside. And angry, angry at himself for thinking that Will would accept him with all of his flaws, of which he had a lot.

Finally Nico looked up at Will, who was still staring at him. His eyes flickered to Akemi, who was pressed against the far wall, looking shocked, confused and a bit scared.

"Okay, then", muttered Nico, not bothering to look at Will again.

He gathered the shadows and prepared to travel.

"Wait, Nico! I didn't-"

That was the last Nico heard from Will, before the shadows enveloped him and he was transported somewhere else.


	14. Jules-Albert is a ladies man

**Chapter 14**

"I'm not quite sure if I can help you in any way", Reyna said, setting a green mug filled with hot chocolate down in front of Nico. "I've never been in any situation like this before" She let herself fall on the couch next to the son of Hades, gently pushing her elbow against his. "But I know that this wretched son of Apollo will get what he deserves."

Nico didn't actually want Reyna to do anything to Will, but he was glad to see that she cared. Reyna seemed to read him quite well.

"Don't worry, I'm not really doing anything to him. Not before you two have spoken with each other about it and you're absolutely sure that he is the biggest estúpido in the world", she told him, smiling encouragingly.

Nico stared down into his mug, not really in the mood for chocolate.

"You have anything to do today?", Reyna asked.

Nico shrugged a bit. "There's a parent's evening in school today, which Jules-Albert is attending", he said.

"Let's do that then! Sounds like fun", Reyna grinned. "But first you finish your drink."

"I don't really want to", mumbled Nico, but lifted the mug to his lips anyway.

"Do you think he hates me?", he asked quietly after a while.

Reyna shook her head. "He must be really stupid to. I bet there is more to it than you first think. Just try to talk about it later, okay?"

Reyna looked at her clock above the door. "I think the meeting is about to start. Let's have some fun"

"I don't get why you all want to go there", Nico muttered.

* * *

**POV Change**

Elena Portridge had experienced a lot of parent's evenings in her life. She was mother to three wonderful children after all. Her oldest, Patrick, was in grade twelve, her middle daughter, Louise, was in grade ten, and her youngest, Lukas, was in grade she had been attending a grade ten parent's evening, so the one for Lousie's class. Elena knew the teacher, Miss Kimberly, from meeting her in the park a few weeks ago, so she had looked forward to talking with her again. This time, the meeting was different though, a lot more exiting and also a bit disturbing. If Elena had to choose someone to blame, she would instantly point to Mr. Brunner. But, let's start from the beginning:

When Elena walked into the room, most of the other parents were already there.

She saw Robert, the father of one of Lousie's friends, Jessica, her neighbor from across the street, Beniko, the nice Japanese lady who worked in her favorite bookstore and some others. Miss Kimberly was happily chatting away with an older blond woman.

Elena gritted her teeth at her. How she hated that woman. Pauline Gordon was a monster in disguise, always going out of her way to demonstrate that she was rich and better than most of them.

When a brown haired man entered, Elena recognized him as Dennis Spacey, Pauline stood up and walked over to him. She had her deluxe death stare on her face.

"Mr. Spacey, how dare your daughter attack my Hannah!", she snarled.

Dennis looked up at her, obviously startled. Elena could see Jean, a French woman, stopping her conversation and edging closer to the duo. The three times mother rolled her eyes. Jean was known for her gossip.

"As far as I'm concerned Hannah was pushed into the water, a normal occurrence on a school trip to the swimming pool.", Dennis countered, walking past her and sitting down in the last row.

Pauline fake gasped. "Mr. Spacey, I forbid this tone. Don't you know who you are talking to?", she asked, flipping her fake blond hair.

"Just the biggest slut in the city and that says something, seeing as we're in Chicago", muttered Beniko next to Elena, making the black woman chuckle.

"Mrs. Gordon, would you be so kind and sit down, we want to start", interrupted Miss Kimberly.

Pauline huffed but sank down in the front row.

The teacher picked up a sheet of paper, starting to go through the names. At the last line she paused, before asking: "Mr. Brunner?"

No one answered.

"Is Mr. Brunner not here?", asked Miss Kimberly. "That's sad"

Elena exchange a confused look with Beniko. Who was Mr. Brunner? The answer arrived in the form of a knock. All eyes shifted towards the door.

"Yes?", called Miss Kimberly.

The door opened and in walked a man in his late thirties. He could be considered handsome with his dark brown, curly hair and green eyes, but for Elena he was a bit to pale and thin. Beniko gasped staring at him in horror.

"You know him?", Elena asked.

Beniko looked towards her and quickly shook her head.

"I just remembered that Akemi was out and forgot her keys. Hopefully my husband will be home early enough for her to return", she gave as an answer. Elena nodded along, turning back towards the newcomer.

"Are you Mr. Brunner?", asked Miss Kimberly, staring at the man with open affection.

Mr. Brunner nodded stiffly. Elena heard a chuckle behind her and turned around. Nobody was there. Strange.

She turned back around, watching as Mr. Brunner took a seat to at the left side.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin"

Miss Kimberly turned on the retroproyector, showing a list of things they were going to talk about. First point was the field trip in a month.

As Miss Kimberly started talking about the destination, Elena's gaze wandered towards Mr. Brunner. She had never seen him before and wondered what he was doing here. Maybe there were new students? But Louise would have told her about it, right? She wasn't so sure about Louise anymore. They had drifted apart in the last few months. Anyway, back to the topic. Mr. Brunner wasn't only new, he seemed a bit strange, too. He sat stiff like a tree, in the pale light in the room actually looking like a corpse. Elena gave herself a mental slap. It wasn't nice to think about other people this way. He also hadn't said a word yet.

Elena focused back onto the presentation. This was important after all.

* * *

Half an hour later they made a short break, Miss Kimberly excusing herself to go to the toilette. Instantly some of the parents flocked around Mr. Brunner, Jean in the first row.

Mr. Brunner didn't seem to notice, he stared straight out of the window.

"What is he doing? He isn't supposed to do that", somebody whisper-yelled behind Elena.

It sounded like a young male voice. A girl answered him in a hushed tone, Elena wasn't able to make out what they were saying. She heard a bit of shuffling and suddenly Mr. Brunner focused on the people in front of him.

"Hello", he greeted.

"'i", said Jean, propping her elbows on the table like a teenager. "What's your name? Do you 'ave children going to this school?", she asked.

Mr. Brunner looked at her for a while, before nodding. Elena heard shuffling again and Mr. Brunner spoke up: "My name is Jules-Albert Brunner and my nephew attends this school"

"Nephew?", some people whispered.

Beniko looked disgusted for a second.

"Yes, on his mother's side. His name is Will and he goes here"

Elena noticed that Jules-Albert had a french accent, what Jean found really great apparently.

A small chuckle sounded behind her again. Elena fought against the urge to turn around to check who was there. Maybe some kids who hid under the table to spy on their parents? Whoever it was, Elena wasn't going to call the teacher on them. She remembered doing something similar in her youth.

"Why are you here and not his parents?", asked someone.

"His parents are divorced and his mother works on the other side of the country, so he lives with me", responded Jules-Albert.

Miss Kimberly chose that moment to come back and everyone shuffled back to their seats.

"Okay, next topic is the behavior of your children this semester", she announced happily.

The mood in the room got somber in an instant. Miss Kimberly brought up a chart. Two quarters were red, about one quarter was yellow and an eight was green and another eight blue. Elena didn't know what to make of this chart.

"This chart was made in the last two days, judging the behavior of the students." She put up another one, this time with only half as much red and a lot more yellow and green. "This one is from last week. As you see, they changed drastically over the course of one week." Everybody nodded along.

One man raised his hand. "What do the colors mean?"

Miss Kimberly blushed and quickly explained it. "Red means really bad behavior", everybody gasped. "yellow means medium bad, blue neutral and green good"

Elena stared at the chart in shock. What had happened to change the kids so drastically. Someone voiced that question.

"Well, we don't know", answered Miss Kimberly. "I hoped you could tell me"

"Didn't you get two new children on Monday?", asked Pauline. "It's obvious that they are the reason"

One of the kids behind Elena gasped in shock. "Oh, I'm going to kill her", she snarled quietly, until the boy probably clamped a hand over her mouth.

Elena looked over at Jules-Albert, who showed his first sign of emotion today. His brow was furrowed and he looked a bit angry. He probably didn't like it when someone accused his nephew of being a troublemaker.

"Wait? Two new kids? I thought it was only one", Robert asked.

Miss Kimberly looked over at him surprised. "Eh...yes. Didn't Clara tell you?"

Robert shook his head.

"So, yes, we have two new students by the names of Will Solace and Nico di Angelo, they started here on Monday, but they aren't involved in any trouble. Not since Monday,", she added the last sentence quietly.

Elena caught it anyway. She had good ears like that.

"Well, back to the topic. Please talk to your children about this, it is really alarming"

"Could you tell us how things changed?", asked Jessica.

Miss Kimberly scratched herself behind her ear, a sign that she didn't really want to share it.

"It started with a lot of break-ups, evolving into competition between the boys and some fights between the girls, going through disrespect against teachers and the security guy, over skipping class and finally the whole thing at the swimming pool.", Miss Kimberly explained to them.

For a moment it was completely silent in the room, before whispers broke out. Jessica leaned back on her chair, so that she could talk with Elena and Beniko.

"Looks like competition arrived at the school", she giggled.

"You're acting like a school girl.", Beniko told her.

"Well, I am in school"

Elena chuckled.

She thought about it. Louise did wear some more expensive and stylish clothing the last few days. Could it be to impress some new guys?

"Could we carry on now, please?", asked Miss Kimberly, trying to get them on track again.

Everything grew silent and she brought up the next point.

* * *

"So, Jules-Albert, when did you move here? Are you married? Where are you from?", asked Jean, looking at Jules-Albert with something that could only be described as pure lust. He didn't seem to notice though.

Some of the parents had agreed to go out for a drink. They had dragged the French man with them.

Back in school, Elena had wanted to look who had hid behind her but found nothing, not even a table to hide under, which was strange. She had also witnessed Pauline striding up to Jules-Albert with that arrogant smile of hers and talking to him. It was something he didn't like apparently because he growled at her a bit and glared. Pauline was nearly tripping over herself to get away. Elena herself had hastily followed the rest outside and walked with Jessica towards the pub. After half a bottle of beer, she felt herself relaxing.

Jules-Albert was staring at Jean blankly, something Elena found quite unnerving.

"Twenty minutes ago. No. The Underworld.", he answered flatly.

Jean burst out laughing. Some of the others chuckled too. Everyone except Beniko really. She just looked horrified, fumbling with her armbands.

Elena wondered what was up with her. Yes, Jules-Albert was a bit scary and strange, but that was no reason to look like that.

"No, really.", Jean said after she calmed down. Elena heard the same shuffling noise again.

"Sunday. No. New York", Jules-Albert said this time.

Jean smiled a crazy smile, she was obviously drunk. Elena turned towards Jessica, who was talking about her work.

* * *

It was way past eleven, when the adults slowly went home.

Elena spotted Jules-Albert walking towards a small black car. She walked towards him, partly to say goodnight, partly because her own car was parked next to his.

Suddenly Jean appeared out of nowhere.

"Good byeee, Juli", she slurred, nearly falling over.

Elena opened the door of her car and shuffled around in it. She wanted to see, what was happening next.

Jules-Albert ignored her and opened his own door. Jean leaned forward and closed her eyes, wanting to kiss him. Jules-Albert instead sat down, started the car and drove off. Jean was still leaning forward, eyes pressed shut and lips out. Finally she fell over, face-planting on the floor.

Elena considered helping her out, but she didn't really like Jean, so she sat down laughing and sped off.


	15. Nico isn't good with feelings

**Chapter 15**

Nico didn't really understand, why Reyna found the whole evening so hilarious. Yes, that woman falling on the street while trying to kiss Jules-Albert (which was totally gross by the way) was kinda funny, but the rest was just boring.

They were currently walking down the street leading towards the apartment. Reyna had insisted on bringing him home, which Nico found unnecessary. But you don't argue with the daughter of Bellona if you value your life. Speaking of which, Nico still didn't know what to make of his whole situation. If Reyna wasn't here, he would have ran somewhere nobody could find him. But Reyna was here and forcing him to confront Will.

On the steps leading to the front door, they met Akemi. Nico stared at her in surprise. What was she still doing here? It was half past eleven, Nico had gone at six.

Akemi had her elbows propped up on her knees, face hiding behind her hands. Reyna looked at Nico, asking silently who she was. Nico shrugged. He had absolutely no idea. The Puerto Rican cleared her throath, Akemi's head snapped up. Her gaze landed on Reyna, studying her for a moment, before focusing on Nico. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"That's the second time today. What did I do, to deserve this?", Reyna muttered.

She took a step forwards. "Hey, umm, whoever you are, it's fine. You wanna tell us what's up?", she asked in her most caring voice. It still sounded like an order.

Akemi gulped. "I-I don't know what too think. For the last year I was thinking whatever my Mom told me was right, but today I learned that it was complete...", she burst into tears.

Reyna send Nico a look over her shoulder.

"What is she talking about?", she whispered.

"Some Roman stuff.", he gave as an explanation.

"She's Roman?"

"Legacy, yes"

Reyna looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning back to Akemi. "Okay, legacy! I want you to stop crying and to tell me exactly what happened. From start to finish, understand?"

Akemi's head snapped up at the harsh tone. Reyna stared her dead in the eye, daring her to say something.

"You-you're Roman, too?", Akemi asked confused.

"Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata", Reyna answered with a smirk.

At this point Akemi looked ready to faint.

"And now I want you to tell me your story!"

Reyna turned towards Nico, who was still standing on the sidewalk, watching them carefully. With a more gentle tone she told him: "You go up and clear things up. I will have Guido take me back to Camp Jupiter."

Nico hesitated, before nodding and disappearing inside the house. Closing the door, he caught a glimpse of Reyna looking at Akemi sternly.

Slowly, Nico climbed the stairs, not really wanting to reach the right floor. On one hand, he hoped what Reyna said was true, that there was a reason why Will said that. On the other hand, he knew that there wasn't, that Will spoke out his true feelings and never wanted to see Nico again.

Standing in front of the right door, he noticed that he didn't have a key. So, he knocked. A thousand scenarios were flying around in his head, he thought about every single thing, that could happen.

When the door finally opened, he was completely surprised. Of all the things happening, he didn't suspect _that_. Will stared at him in shock for a moment, before opening his mouth and closing it again. Then it all went by real fast. Will's hand grabbed the other boy, pulling him in and pressing his lips on Nico's.

For a few seconds Nico didn't react, his mind was in too much of a shock. When he finally registered that Will Solace was _kissing_ him, he briefly wondered why. Deciding to concentrate on that later, he focused on pushing Will away from him.

The son of Apollo looked a bit hurt, but covered in by closing the door. Nico wondered why Will was hurt now. First he yelled at Nico, practically telling him he hated him and then he kissed him, expecting for everything to be fine again? Of course it wouldn't be, Nico wasn't even sure anything would be fine again, so Will had no right to be hurt by Nico pushing him away.

"Why did you do that?", he asked the son of Apollo, surprised how hard his voice sounded.

Will shrugged, looking away from Nico.

"I'm sorry", he said, facing the wall next to him.

"For what?"

"Everything"

He looked over at the son of Hades, guilt clearly visible on his face. "I should have never said that. I don't even know why I said that"

Nico held his gaze for a second, before looking away. Will slowly approached him.

"Are you okay?", he asked, laying a hand on Nico's shoulder.

"I'm fine", Nico snapped, taking a step back and pushed Will's hand off.

"No you're not."

Now Nico got angry. Suddenly Will cared how he felt? Nico didn't understand the son of Apollo. Why was he acting like this?

"I'm sorry", Will said again.

Nico looked over at him. "Are you really?", he asked.

Will nodded. "I was just so angry and then something snapped. It was probably just the concealer balls again. I didn't mean it."

Nico slowly shook his head and walked towards his sword laying on the table. He had forgotten it there earlier.

"Of course you did. Even if it was the concealer balls, the thoughts have to come from somewhere. You definitely meant everything you said.", he said quietly.

Suddenly, there were warm arms wrapped around him, pulling Nico against Will's chest. The son of Hades went stiff for a second, before trying to get the son of Apollo off him.

"You're right, I meant some of it.", Will said.

Nico went still again. So it was true, Will totally hated him, was probably even disgusted, and he had just slapped him those words in the face. Or back, or whatever.

"I'm not fine with you killing other people, I'm a healer after all, but I have accepted it. It's a part of you, something you can't just ignore.", Will went on.

Nico was completely confused now. Could it be that maybe Will didn't hate him after all? No, that's absurd. He had every right to, Nico was a horrible person after all.

Apparently the son of Apollo still wasn't finished. "You're are a whole package, you can't have one part without the other. I realized this when we started being friends right after the war. I started to accept it by the time we were best friends and when we began dating, I didn't care anymore. So yes, I'm not fine with killing, that's just against my nature, but I'm fine with you"

When Will finished, it was complete silence. Nico's mind was going a few thousand kilometers an hour. _He doesn't care. He is fine with me_. This thoughts circled around in his head, filled his stomach with skeletal butterflies and made him so freaking happy.

An angry voice in the back of his head demanded for Nico to snap out of it. This still didn't excuse what Will had said, the voice seemed to be saying. That put quite a damper to his excitement.

"Then why did you say it?", Nico asked.

"I was angry. Lost control over my emotions and stupid stuff poured out of my mouth.", Will replied. "Are we okay now?"

"I don't know", Nico answered.

He wasn't sure everything would be the same as earlier. He had trusted Will with his life and then this happened. It would be a while until that was back to the way as before. Also, Will's word had hurt him a lot and Nico couldn't just forget that. His fatal flaw was holding grudges, after all.

"I hope we will be again", Will told him, slowly stepping back and letting go of him. "I don't want to lose you", he added quietly.

Nico turned towards him and just nodded. The excitement was fading away and was leaving him tired and wary of the current situation.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch", he muttered, letting himself fall on said object.

"No, I can do-"

"You're sick", interrupted Nico and demonstratively closed his eyes. He could hear Will sigh and walking towards the bedroom.

At the door he stopped, turning back to the other boy.

"I feel horrible for hurting you", he said.

Surprised, Nico opened his eyes.

"I swore to myself that I would do my best to not have you hurting again and then I go ahead and do just that. I'm sorry for that", Will finished and disappeared through the door.

Nico was left behind looking stunned and not knowing what to say to that. He looked up at the ceiling, wondering if what Will said was true. He hoped it, of course, because that would mean, that Will liked him the way he was. _He doesn't care_. That sentence was still in his head, filling him with hope. Hope that they would be okay again sometime. The pessimistic part of him, a big part, was certain, that Will lied. That Will just said that to make him feel better about himself. He did feel bad, he just said it himself.

Nico was left in the darkness of the living room, lying uncomfortable on this stupid couch and thinking about stuff that hurt to think about. He should probably just sleep, tomorrow they could talk about it again. Nico shifted around, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Together with this couch and all the thinking, sleeping seemed impossible.

* * *

It was way past twelve, when Nico heard it. Quiet sobs were echoing in the other room and the son of Hades just couldn't ignore that. He got up and quietly walked over to the door. It was definitely Will crying in there.

Worried he opened the door. It was dark in the room, but being the son of Hades, that wasn't really a problem. He could see Will laying on his side, curled up and shaking with each sob.

"Will?", Nico asked.

The boy froze, before throwing a glance over his shoulder at Nico. His eyes were red and puffy and his whole face pale.

"I'm so sorry", he said quietly and wiped a hand over his eyes.

In an instant Nico was next to him, pulling Will into a hug.

"It's okay", he muttered into Will's hair.

The boy shook his head violently, nearly knocking their heads together.

"I totally screwed up", he mumbled. "I destroyed everything we had."

Nico didn't know what to say, so he just buried his head in Will's curls. This felt so normal, he nearly fell asleep.

Will poked him in time, and the son of Hades lifted his head again. Will was staring at him and took on of Nico's hands in his. The redness of his eyes was fading away and the blue regained its sparkle, making him look more like the Will Nico knew.

He opened his mouth, but closed it again. Nico wondered what he wanted to say, but Will didn't make another attempt. They just sat across from each other on the bed, silence between them. Nico used that time to over think their situation again.

Will definitely didn't lie earlier, Nico could clearly see that. No one who lies begins crying like that. Not over Nico at least. This could only mean, that Will meant everything he said, which made him feel relieved.

Suddenly, Will opened his mouth again: "I love you"

Nico's head snapped up, looking at him in shock. Did he really just say that? To Nico?

"I mean it.", Will insisted. "You're the most wonderful person I ever had the pleasure of meeting and I'm totally in love with you. And I feel really horrible for screwing it all up and can understand it if you hate me now and-"

Nico had enough of Will's blabbering. He pulled his face towards him and pressed a kiss on Will's lips. Will didn't react for a few seconds, before responding. After a while Nico pulled away, in desperate need for some air.

"I love you, too", he told Will.

The son of Apollo broke into a huge smile. "So you don't hate me?", he asked hopefully.

Nico laughed a bit and shook his head. "I actually thought you would hate me", he said.

Will's smile faltered a bit. Before he could apologize again, Nico pulled him into another kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Nico was woken by the sun shining in through the window. He blinked a bit, before his eyes adjusted to the light.

"What time is it?", he asked, yawning.

Will chuckled, his chest vibrating. Nico hit him in response. "Stop laughing"

Will just laughed harder, his body started to shake. Nico lifted his head from Will's shoulder and glared at the boy.

"Stop that, I can't sleep"

Will stopped laughing, but still grinned. He was obviously happy. Nico rolled his eyes and rested his head back on Will. Said boy seemed to have different ideas, though. He rolled on the side, ignoring Nico's protests and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.

"It's six"

Nico groaned.

"Do we have school today?", he asked.

"Yeah, it's Thursday"

"Wait, only Thursday? Feels like a lot longer", Nico mused.

The two lapsed into silence again. Slowly, Nico drifted back to sleep. He felt way to good for such an early hour. The sun was warm, he was comfortable and he felt happy about how it worked out tonight. He didn't even mind Will tracing the scars on his back. That felt surprisingly nice, too.

"When do we have to get up?", he asked.

"Soon. We still don't have any food", Will replied.

He yawned.

"Wow, are you actually tired?", Nico asked mockingly.

"Can you blame me? I didn't get any sleep", Will laughed.

A loud knock on the front door startled the two boys. Both turned their heads towards the door, before looking at each other again.

"Who's that?", asked Will.

"I can't look through walls", replied Nico. "You should probably look"

Will nodded and slid out from under the blanket. Nico let himself fall face first into the pillow. After Will put on some clothes, he left the room.

Nico could hear some voices, but wasn't able to make out, who visited them. Maybe he should check. Or not. He was way too tired to move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it seems a bit rushed, I hope you liked it anyway


	16. Gina wants to be a badass

**Chapter 16**

Nico could hear screaming and something that sounded like a punch. He lifted his head from his pillow. Now was probably a good time to check out, what was going on. He put on some clothes and peaked out of the door, to find Reyna standing over Will and glaring down at him. Akemi was covering half behind a chair.

"I thought you were going home with Guido", Nico said, stepping out of the room.

Reyna whirled around, her scowl changing into a small smile. "The talk with Akemi took longer than I thought. I had to visit her parents and had an interesting conversation with them. Apparently some of the Romans outside Camp think we defeated you.", she explained.

Will was climbing to his feet again. Reyna just pushed him down again. "You're staying on the floor, estúpido!"

"Okay, okay", muttered Will and held up his hands defensively.

Nico ignored him and nodded towards Akemi. "What is she doing here?"

"Yeah, what's she doing here?", repeated Will.

Reyna glared at him and he promptly shut up.

"I brought her here, so that she can apologize", she explained.

Akemi nodded. "I'm sorry for saying that and threatening you", she told them.

Nico just nodded and looked over at Will. "Why is he sitting on the floor?"

"It's his punishment. If he was Roman, he would have gotten whipped at least five times. Sadly, he isn't Roman", Reyna replied.

Will stared at her horrified, Nico snorted in amusement.

"That's all, I suppose", Reyna said.

She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled.

"I will see you soon" With those words she walked out of the door and disappeared down the hallway. Akemi nodded, waved and ran after her.

"You think it's safe to get up now?", Will asked.

"I wouldn't risk it", replied Nico.

Will sighed and his shoulders slumped. "She's right. I'm a horrible person", he said.

"That's not true, Will", Nico said. He sat down next to his boyfriend and gave him a short peck on the cheek.

"Why did you come back last night. You obviously didn't want to talk to me, not that I can blame you", Will asked, turning his head to look at Nico.

"I didn't want to. Reyna forced me. She was convinced there was more to this than I thought", Nico told him.

"Thank the gods for Reyna", Will muttered and pulled Nico into a short kiss.

"Since when are you kissing me so much?", asked Nico.

Will grinned stupidly. "I love you", he gave as an explanation.

The words made Nico feel all fuzzy and warm inside. He liked that feeling. Smiling, he told Will the same.

* * *

"I didn't know you lived in this street", Paul told them upon meeting them in front of their apartment building.

"Then you're the only one", Will told him.

"Huh?"

"Gina and Akemi have been here already", he explained.

"So you invited them over, but not me?", Paul asked, playing offended.

"They just turned up. Gina two days ago and Akemi last night. But don't you dare do that too", Will said.

Paul laughed, then looked over at Nico, who was walking silently next to them.

"What's up with you?", he asked.

Nico forced himself to smile a bit. "Nothing, I'm just a bit tired", he said.

Paul nodded, but didn't look convinced. He never got the chance to ask because they reached the front gate of the school.

The security guard was someone different than the last few days. He looked at Will and Nico strangely, but Nico figured it was because they were new. Not every mortal looking at them was a monster.

In the school they were greeted by Gina and Betty, who seemed to slowly get warm with the two of them. She even said hello to Paul. Nico left Will with them and went to get his books.

During the whole trip to his locker, Nico felt as if he was watched, but every time he looked, no one was bothering to look into his direction. He slowly shook his head. He was going crazy now, all the people in this school were just too much to handle.

Reaching his locker, the feeling finally vanished. He nearly sighed in content, but that would mean drawing attention to himself. He opened his locker and pulled out his books, then went on his way towards his first classroom.

He didn't make it far.

Rounding a corner, he slammed into a teacher carrying a few boxes. The content of these boxes emptied out over Nico's head, showering him with glitter and a bit of paint. Instantly the pupils in the hallway broke out in roaring laughter, while the teacher was frantically apologizing. Finally Nico pushed Miss Kimberly, who was his Homeroom teacher, away from him and wiped his face.

"Do you have any spare clothes in school? Should I call your parents?", she asked.

"I'm fine", spat Nico and walked by her.

Some of the other students snickered, when he passed them, others shot him pitying looks. He opened the door to the nearest men's bathroom and slipped in. Thankfully nobody was inside. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and sighed.

He was looking totally stupid. He was covered from head to toe in colorful glitter, streaks of his hair and the front of his shirt also covered in white and red paint. Why did stuff like this always happen to him? And why did the other students find it so hilarious? He didn't get why they laughed. It wasn't funny. It was embarrassing and their laughter didn't help. It just added salt to the wound.

He turned on the water and tried to wash away some of the stuff in his face and hair. Then at least he could change his clothes. He would just need to shadow-travel back into the apartment. Only problem, inside the bathroom were no shadows. The light was so bright, it extinguished them. His gaze landed on of the toilette stalls. In there should be enough shadows. He entered one and closed the door behind him, but didn't lock it.

Just as he entered, the door to the bathroom opened and a bunch of boys came in. Nico tried to ignore them, but suddenly they started talking about him. Or the better term: laughing.

"Did you see di Angelo? That was hilarious!", laughed one of them.

"Yeah, totally!", answered another.

"The way he dresses, he is probably allergic to glitter", said the first voice.

Nico frowned. What was so bad about his clothing? Yes, it was all black, but that didn't mean he was allergic to glitter. He just didn't like being covered with this stuff.

"That boy is so emo, it's a wonder he doesn't cut" That was a new voice. Nico recognized it from somewhere, he was probably in one of his classes.

He grit his teeth at the sentence. That was so stupid. First of all, he wasn't emo, he just liked to dress dark, second of all, not every emo cuts and thirdly, this _maláka_ had no right to judge Nico. He was tempted to go out and punch him, but decided against it.

"Have you seen him at the swimming pool? Those scars are so creepy", said the second voice.

"Everything about him is creepy", added the first voice and laughed.

Nico looked down at himself. Was he really that bad?

"I don't know why that Solace boy is even bothering with him. He could have much better friends"

That was actually something Nico asked himself on a regular basis. It hurt to know, that other people thought the exact same.

"Yeah, Solace is cool. Di Angelo? Not so much"

"I heard he's coming to Riley's party tomorrow."

"I wanna see what he's like, when that little loser isn't around him" All three of them laughed.

Deciding that he heard enough, Nico melted into the shadows. He reappeared on top of his kitchen counter, losing his balance and slamming on the floor.

Laying there, the conversation he just heard came back into his mind. Was that really the view other people had of him? Even people who didn't even know his parentage judged him solely based on his looks. They thought he was some kind of creepy loser, who Will just talked to because the boy pitied him. Couldn't people, just for one time, keep their prejudice under control and try to get to know him? Apparently not.

Nico climbed to his feet and headed towards the shower. He briefly wondered what Will thought about his disappearance. Maybe he thought, that Nico had been eaten by a monster or something. That meant, he had to hurry up a bit.

* * *

Nico appeared under the stairs towards the science building. Nobody was in sight, to see his arrival, which was good. Freshly cleaned up and dressed in new clothes, he felt a lot better. He looked on the clock above the door leading inside. Time for History lessons. As he was walking down the hallway, the bell chimed and students poured out of their classrooms.

Nico came face to face with Will after two minutes.

"Where were you?", the other boy asked. He looked worried.

"Back at the apartment. One of the teachers dumped glitter on me", Nico replied.

Will started laughing. He stopped when he saw Nico's angry face.

"Wait, that wasn't a joke?"

Nico shook his head angrily. "Of course not! Why does everybody laugh at this? It isn't funny!", he snapped and pushed past a surprised Will.

He stomped towards his classroom and let himself fall down on a seat in the back.

Paul was there a few seconds later. "What put a twist in your toga?", he asked.

Nico gave him a suspicious glance. How did he know that phrase?

"Mary used to say it all the time. I picked it up after a while", Paul explained.

Nico nodded slowly.

"So? What happened?"

Nico didn't answer, but stared out of the window instead. It was a nice day.

Akemi came in a minute later. She looked like she wanted to sit somewhere else, but finally sat down in front of Paul. She gave Nico a concerned glance, but didn't bother him. She could probably tell, that he wasn't in a good mood.

He didn't even know why. It wasn't Will's fault. Nico would have thought it was a joke too, if someone had told him that. It was probably to blame on the three boys in the bathroom. Their words seemed to affect him more than he wanted. Or maybe this feeling of being watched got to him. Nico wondered, if he finally went insane.

He registered, that Paul was speaking to him, but didn't listen to the exact words. Just something about the cinema. When Akemi poked him, he turned his head towards the others.

"You're still coming to the cinema, right?", Akemi asked.

Nico just shrugged. He honestly could care less about some stupid movie, but it seemed important to the other two.

"You're a bit out of it today, aren't you?", asked Paul.

"Didn't get much sleep.", he said as an explanation.

Paul looked like he wanted to say more, but the teacher chose that moment to start the lesson.

It took only four seconds, before a piece of paper landed on his desk. _That's not all, I know it. You can tell me, we're friends_. Nico stared at the last word. It still was strange to think that he had friends.

Even though he liked Paul, he wasn't going to tell him anything about last night. Or this morning. But judging by the giggles of some girls in the row in front of him (and their glances in his direction), it wouldn't take long until Paul knew about that.

He scribbled an answer, probably spelling every word wrong, and passed it to Paul. _It's nothing, really. You can stop worrying now, I'm fine._

Somebody had apparently seen the short exchange, because a boy yelled: "Thomas and di Angelo are passing love letters!"

The rest of the class burst out laughing. Instantly Paul became bright red. He shrunk to half his size and tried to hide his face. Nico raised an eyebrow at him, then he glared at the boy who had just shouted.

"Mr. Thomas, Mr. di Angelo, stop passing letters. You can do that in your free time", the teacher chided and went back to teaching.

Some of the other students snickered, but the majority focused back on the teacher. Paul was still a bright red. Nico felt a tinge of sympathy for him.

* * *

The class ended soon enough and Nico pulled Paul out and into the courtyard.

"You shouldn't listen to them. They're just stupid idiots", he told him.

Paul nodded slightly. "Ever since Mary disappeared, they started picking on me. That wasn't even the worst they ever did, right now", Paul said quietly. "What do you have next?"

"English Literature, I think."

Paul forced a smile on his face. "I will see you in Chemistry, then?", he asked.

Nico nodded.

The gong sounded and Nico went back inside. He wasn't looking forward to this class. The homework wasn't done, even if he had three days longer already, and with only Akemi and Gina as company, it was sure to get boring. Akemi was still walking on eggshells around him and Gina went back to being her annoying self, once the excitement over the Greek gods was over. Speaking of the devil, Gina just appeared next to him, Betty, as always, in tow.

"You know, we should totally go shopping together", Gina told him.

Nico stared at her as if she just spouted another head. "You want to do what?!"

"Going shopping. It will be fun. We could get ice cream later, there is a really good parlor in the mall. Paul and Akemi can come too, if they want", Gina explained.

Nico just shook his head. "I'm never going to the mall again. Last time was bad enough", he told her.

Gina and Betty looked stunned. Nico nearly shuddered at the thought of the last trip to the mall. It had been traumatizing. He never wanted to experience Percy and Jason on a shopping spree again. Never. Judging by Gina's and Betty's excitement, they would be as bad as them.

"Ookay", was all Betty said. "Well, I'm off to class" She walked past them, disappearing around the corner.

Gina leaned towards Nico and whispered quietly: "Has it anything to do with a monster?"

Nico glanced at her. "No. Except you see two idiots as monsters"

Gina nodded thoughtful. "Are these 'idiots' friends of yours?"

"You could say that.", Nico answered slowly.

"Demigods, too?"

"Yes. What do you want?"

Gina grinned. "They don't happen to be single?"

Nico suppressed the urge to facepalm. Was there nothing else on Gina's mind?

"No they aren't single. And if I were you, Spacey-girl, I wouldn't try taking on Annabeth and Piper."

"Aww, why are the nice guys always taken?", Gina whined and pushed open the door to the classroom.

"How do you know, whether they are nice, or not?", Nico asked.

Gina gave him a look, that was supposed to say something. Nico just wasn't sure what. So he raised an eyebrow in question. Gina sighed, rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like 'boys'. She would fit well in with the hunters, if she weren't so interested in boys. Maybe Nico could take her to meet Thalia? After Puerto Rico, the hunters were in need of new girls to join. And he owed them for saving their life.

They sat down in the last row again.

"Did you ever think about hunting monsters?", he asked her.

Gina looked at him bewildered. "I thought, I couldn't use the weapons"

"Well, there are ways to change that", Nico muttered. Rachel had her own dagger too, after all.

"Really?", Gina sounded excited. "What do I have to do? Is there a place where I can learn that? Like your camp-thingie?"

"Ever heard of the Hunters of Artemis?"

Gina looked thoughtful. Then she leaned down, pulled a book out of her back and flipped through the pages.

"Aha!", she yelled triumphantly, but Mr. Ironfence interrupted her.

"Ms. Spacey, what are you doing?"

"I'm reading up on some facts for History lesson. We have a presentation later on", she said, putting on puppy dog eyes.

Mr. Ironfence sighed. "Very well, go ahead. But this is an one time thing, only because you already read the book. And be silent"

Gina nodded eagerly and went back to her book. Nico stared at the teacher in confusion. Did he just allow that? Some of the other students grumbled in protest.

"Oh come on, kids. Everybody gets one free pass, you know that", the teacher said, before turning back to the board.

Meanwhile, Gina finished the text.

"I would have to swear of love.", she said disbelievingly.

Nico shrugged.

"But, aren't they all unhappy?", she asked.

"Well, Thalia is really happy there.", Nico told her.

Gina looked thoughtful. "Is there like a consultation hot-line or something? And who's Thalia?"

"I don't know and Thalia is the sister of one of the idiots. She is kinda the leader of them", Nico explained. "But I think, I could call her and let her talk to you"

"And if I say yes?"

"Then you're immortal, except you get killed in battle"

"You don't seem too happy about that"

"Oh, I am not. I don't really like them, but I owe them one"

Gina looked confused now. "I don't get it. Why are you telling me this then? And immortal? Like really immortal? Do I get a beauty upgrade, too? And do I become some badass warrior?"

"I just told you, yes, kinda, I don't know and depends on you"

Gina started grinning like crazy. "I will think about it", she told him and turned towards the board.

Nico wondered, if he just dammed the hunters to a life of face palming.


	17. Leo gives advice

**Chapter 17**

It didn't take more than five minutes, until something bad happened. Said bad thing came in the form of Leo Valdez.

Confused? Well, Nico was too.

He stared at the forming IM in horror. Akemi looked surprised too, Gina was getting excited. She loved the one time she got to send one.

"Who is it? One of the idiots?", she asked and leaned over.

When Leo's face came into view, Nico groaned.

"That's even worse", he told her.

"Hey, Nic-oh!" Leo was staring at Gina shocked.

She waved him and smiled.

"I will call you later", he said and slashed at the IM.

"No, wait I-", Nico wasn't able to finish his sentence, because the IM disappeared again.

"What was that?", asked Akemi.

She leaned backwards, so that she was nearly laying on Gina's desk.

"Yeah, who was it?", asked Gina excited.

"Leo. I don't know what he wants, but it's probably bad", Nico explained quietly.

Strangely, the rest of the class didn't notice a thing.

"Wait, wasn't 'Leo' one of the people Will mentioned yesterday?", asked Akemi.

Nico sighed, but nodded. He didn't want to explain that to her now.

"But I thought, he's dead!" Poor Akemi was completely confused now.

Gina looked between the two of them, before flipping some pages in her book.

"Well...he was", Nico said.

"But...but...how?", Akemi stammered.

"In Greek Mythology there were some heroes who managed to get into the Underworld and back, saving dead people. For example Orpheus.", Gina told them, obviously proud of herself.

Akemi stared at her in shock. "What?"

Gina motioned towards her book. As if that would explain anything.

Nico decided to interfere. "Gina, that's Akemi, Roman legacy. Akemi, that's Gina, mortal who can see through the Mist", he introduced them.

"And future badass", Gina added.

Akemi stared at her.

"You know about all this?", she motioned around the room.

"Yes, Akemi, I know about this class", Gina answered and rolled her eyes.

"I think, I'm going to faint", Akemi muttered.

"You didn't get any sleep?", asked Nico.

Akemi shook her head. "You trying to sleep while a freaking praetor screams at your parents"

Nico had to grin at that. Reyna was pretty scary when she wanted to be.

Gina leaned over to Nico and whispered: "What's a praetor?"

"Go look in your smart book.", he gave as an answer.

The gong interrupted them.

"Well, then. See you at lunch", Gina said, she grabbed her book and skipped out of the room.

Akemi was staring after her in shock. "She _knows_?"

Nico just nodded. He didn't feel like talking anymore. Talking to girls was more exhausting, than he thought. It was more easily to talk with Reyna or Hazel.

* * *

"Is it just me or do all of our friends have a connection to the world of gods?", asked Nico, sitting down next to Will in chemistry class.

Will looked up surprised.

"What?", he asked.

Nico repeated his question.

"All of them, really?", asked Will.

"Well, except Betty, but she isn't really my friend.", Nico said.

"You consider Gina your friend?"

Nico shrugged. Yes, Gina was annoying, but he slowly started to like her. A bit.

Will nodded thoughtful. "Betty dated Andy, until he disappeared. Now she can't remember him", he said.

"What should we do about that anyway?", Nico asked.

"You mean Andy or something else?"

"Who's Andy?", asked Paul. He let himself fall into the seat next to Will.

"A guy we know", he said hastily.

Paul narrowed his eyes at him, but didn't say anything. He sure was getting suspicious.

Nico had a different problem. How was he supposed to tell Will that Leo called?

In that moment, Ms. Orleen came to talk to Paul. The two of them went to the front of the room.

"Leo called during English class. He wants to call again later.", Nico told Will.

Will had time to nod, before Paul was back and let himself fall back on his chair.

"Detention?", asked Will.

Paul shook his head. "She wants to speak to me during lunch"

The class started and Nico wondered, whether it was normal for Ms. Orleen to be so quiet or not. She just gave them an assignment and then went to reading in the book. Normally she would always do something with her hands or something, but today she kept completely still. It was weird to say the least.

Something poked him in the ribs and Nico stiffened up, his hand jerking towards the nearest shadows. He relaxed slightly, when he noticed, that it was only Paul. Nico looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. Paul motioned towards the book in front of him. It was still closed. Hastily, Nico opened it and looked over at Will's book, which he was sharing with Paul, to find out the correct page. Nico still didn't now, what he was supposed to do, so he started playing with his pencil.

"Nico!", hissed Will.

Nico turned his head towards his boyfriend.

"Why aren't you doing anything?", Will asked.

"What are we supposed to do?", Nico responded quietly.

"Read the page and write down the important stuff.", Paul told him.

Nico pulled his book towards him and stared down on the letters. They started shifting around, the words not making any sense. Nico was sure, by the end of this, he would have a major headache.

He peered over at the notes of the other two. Paul had half a page written in a slightly curvy writing, Will had a few words down. The rest of the paper was covered in doodles.

Nico focused back on the text, willing the letters to stop spinning. He knew, that when he concentrated on the text, it would be easier to read. But, Nico couldn't focus on the text, his mind was busy thinking about three other things.

First of all, Leo. What was so urgent, that he send an IM? Had they been attacked by monsters? Were they back in Camp Half-Blood, too? Nico wanted answers to these questions, but he would have to wait until the lesson was over. Then there was the problem with his paranoia. Either somebody did follow him this morning, or he was going crazy. Whatever it was, he had to do something about it. Nico didn't want to spend the rest of his life paranoid. The last problem was last night. Nico still didn't know, what to make of Will's outburst. Why didn't these stupid concealer balls work properly? Maybe they should just go back to camp, like the others. By the way, how many were still out there? Nico knew of Percy, Annabeth, Jason and Piper going back to camp. What about the rest? Were they fed up with the balls, too? So many questions and not one answer.

Frustrated, Nico groaned and slammed his head on his book. Somebody giggled and Nico could feel eyes on him. He didn't really care.

"Mr. di Angelo, are you alright?", Ms. Orleen asked, worry latched in her voice.

Nico lifted his head from the book and nodded. The teacher didn't look convinced.

"You're a bit pale. Maybe fresh air will help.", she said.

Nico wanted to respond with a 'I'm always pale', but didn't. Instead he gathered his stuff and left the classroom. Outside, he dropped into the grass and sighed. Ms. Orleen was right, fresh air did help. He felt a more stress-free out here, but he didn't know why. Maybe because, as an demigod he was used to being outside. And there weren't any other people here, so his senses weren't constantly on edge. It was nice. He should have known it wouldn't last.

The IM formed above his head and Leo grinned triumphantly.

"Hey there, Death Breath!", he yelled and waved.

Nico groaned and sat up. "What do you want, Leo?", he asked.

Leo's face got serious, a sign, that something awful happened.

"Calypso figured something out about the concealer balls", he said.

Nico perked up, that was interesting.

"It would probably be best, if you either throw them away or not use your demigod powers", Leo continued.

"What? Why?"

Leo ignored his question. "Do you have any on you?"

Nico nodded and pulled out the glass ball with the swirling mist inside. The mist looked a bit darker, than last time, but he figured that was the light.

"Break it", Leo said.

Nico looked up from the ball. "Are you crazy? Do you even know how much they stink?", he asked.

Leo cocked his head to the side. "You broke one already?"

"Yeah, first five minutes here. Why?"

Leo started giggling, then he looked over his shoulder. He leaned forwards, nose nearly touching the IM, ad whispered: "How much did they stink?"

Nico was confused. "Really much, why?"

The grin on Leo's face told him, he had just done something stupid.

"Oh nothing", Leo said, leaning back again. He started muttering something about 'breaking balls', 'sucking the mist out' and 'bombs'. Yep, Nico had just done something stupid.

"Anyway, break it!", Leo said and pointed towards the ball.

Nico eyed it warily. "No, Leo. I'm not going to do this before you tell me why."

Leo sighed. "That's confusing, really. I will let Calypso explain." He stood up and ran away.

Nico was left with a picture of a small red house with sparkling blue water behind it. In the shadows of two palm trees lay Festus, snoring slightly. An old and broken motorcycle was standing in an open garage, a sign saying something in Spanish was hanging above it. Something along the lines of 'Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters'. It looked exactly like something Leo would like.

Leo emerged from the door, Calypso behind him. She was holding a prospect with pictures of different countries.

Nico greeted her when they sat down in front of the IM. Calypso lapsed into an explanation about the mist in the concealer balls reacting badly with demigod powers. Demigods were fine with it, as long as they didn't use any of their powers around it. She advised Nico to just break their balls, even if monsters could find them then. With the balls intact, there would be more monsters coming after them.

The gong interrupted them.

"I guess we have to stop now. It's lunch break and this place will be swarmed with pupils in a few seconds.", Nico told them.

Calypso nodded. "Break the balls, Nico. You're safer that way", she said and stood up.

Leo grinned at him.

"Sucks to be you. At least I have a titan with me, driving the monsters away", he said cheerfully. "Adios!"

Leo swiped his hand through the IM, just in the right moment, because Gina dropped down in front of him.

"Was that the boy from earlier?", she asked.

Nico nodded.

"Is he single?"

"Gina, if you want to be a hunter, you have to stop flirting with boys. Besides, he is in a relationship with a titan", Nico explained to her.

His thoughts drifted away to what said titan had just told him. Were they safer with the concealer balls and their emotions going crazy, or without them?

Gina interrupted him by taking the ball out of his hand.

"What's that?", she asked.

Nico's eyes snapped towards her.

"Nothing", he said and reached for it.

"It's pretty", Gina held it out of his reach.

"Give it back, dammit!", Nico hissed.

Gina started giggling and shook her head. "Only if you come shopping with me"

The son of Hades rolled his eyes. Shadows wrapped themselves around the glass ball. The next second, Nico was holding it in his hand, the mist a touch darker. Gina gaped at him.

"You should become a magician!", she exclaimed.

Nico gave her a look. "Are you crazy?"

Gina never had the chance to answer, because Betty let herself fall on her lap.

"Hey there! Are we eating outside today?", she asked.

Gina shrugged and looked at Nico. "You want to eat here?"

Nico could honestly care less where he ate, as long as he got something to eat.

"I will get some food", said Betty, standing up and running towards the school building.

"Where is she going?", asked Nico.

"Probably to the bakery around the corner. They have some really good sandwiches, way better than the school food", explained Gina.

She let herself fall backwards into the grass. "What a nice day, isn't it? The sun's out, it's warm...Perfect", she muttered and put on a pair of sunglasses.

She wasn't the only one who enjoyed the sun. In the whole courtyard were students, sitting or laying in the grass, eating a mixture between school food and other stuff, making homework or chatting with friends. Was this, what mortal kids did on a regular basis? Enjoying their day, not having to worry about making it to the next one?

"Who is your godly parent?", asked Gina suddenly. She still had her eyes closed.

Nico contemplated for a moment, whether he should tell her or not. "Hades", he said finally.

Gina looked surprised, probably not expecting an answer. "That's the god of...the Underworld, right? The dude who watches over the dead"

"Yeah..." Nico wasn't sure what Gina was thinking at the moment.

"Is he nice?"

The question startled Nico. It wasn't what he expected.

"Depends on the situation."

Nico was thinking back to all the times he met his father. Half of them weren't nice experiences.

"And your mom?", Gina asked.

Nico decided not to answer. That question was too personal.

Gina looked over at him for a second, when he didn't say anything. She dropped the subject, something, Nico was thankful for.

"I didn't know, what you liked, so I brought a ham-and-cheese"

Betty was there again, dropping in the grass next to them. She gave Nico a sandwich and a bottle of water, before taking a bite out of hers.

"Where's the rest of your club?", she asked.

Both girls looked at Nico.

"Paul is talking to a teacher, Akemi is gods knows where and Will is...", Nico trailed off.

Where was the son of Apollo? He felt bad for having completely forgotten about his boyfriend. Anything could have happened to the other demigod and he was just sitting here, chatting with Gina. He didn't know he would like her enough to actually have an conversation.

"There you are! I was getting worried"

Will's voice drifted over to them and a shadow laid itself over the three teenagers.

"Oi, get out of the sun", complained Gina, swatting her hand in his direction.

Betty giggled and quickly brushed the bread crumbs from her shirt.

"Hey to you, too", muttered Will, looking down at Gina.

He then looked at Nico and motioned his head towards the school building. "Can we talk?"

Nico looked from him to the others. Gina had an eyebrow raised, while Betty looked a bit defeated.

"Yeah, sure", Nico muttered.

He stood up, grabbed his bag and followed his boyfriend towards the door. Halfway there, Will send him an amused look.

"Since when are you and 'Spacey-girl' such good friends?"

Nico glared at him. "We aren't good friends", he mumbled.

"She wants to be your friend, you know?"

Nico was surprised by this. "Why?"

"Because we understand her a bit. She had to live all her life with seeing things others didn't and now we're here and see these things too", Will explained.

He opened the door and shooed the son of Hades inside. The hallway was a cooler than outside and silent. Will started off towards the library and Nico followed quietly.

What was up with Akemi, Paul and Gina? What made them like him? He never had so many friends at the same moment before, it was strange.

They reached the library and slipped inside. No-one was there, not even the librarian. Nico turned to Will and looked at him expectantly.

"So? What do you want to talk about?"


	18. Will fires a teacher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Non-consent stuff at the end, it's nothing major, I just wanted to let you guys know

**Chapter 18**

"How are you feeling, Nico?", asked Will. He was sitting on one of the tables in the history part of the room.

"I'm good, why?", Nico answered.

Will looked at him sternly. "Seriously Nico, what is up with you?"

"What do you mean? Nothing is up with me" Nico crossed his arms.

Sighing, Will stood up and walked towards his boyfriend. He stopped right in front of him.

"Something is bothering you and I want to know what", said Will. He grabbed Nico's face and forced him to look Will in the eyes. "Tell me, please"

Nico sighed.

"Leo called again. Our powers are affecting the concealer balls, in a bad way. That's the reason for all the monster attacks", he said quietly.

"Oh", said Will.

"I'm sorry", muttered Nico and leaned his head against Will's shoulder.

"For what exactly?", asked Will. He sounded confused.

"For all this. It's all my fault."

Will went stiff for a second, then he pushed Nico away a bit. He was still holding him at his shoulders and stared at him.

"How is this your fault?", he asked. He sounded angry.

Nico's gaze wandered towards the floor. "I use my powers constantly, they affect the mist inside the balls. It's my fault, that you nearly died. Twice.", he said quietly.

"Nico", sighed Will. "Come on, look at me"

Slowly, Nico looked up again. Will's blue eyes looked darker in the dimmed light.

"It's not you fault", Will said. "I use my powers too, that's just natural. So stop blaming yourself, okay?"

"But-", Nico started.

Will glared at him.

"Okay", said Nico.

Will pulled him into a hug. Nico sighed in content, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and hid his face in his shoulder. The gong sounded, signaling the end of lunch period.

"Let's go", said Nico, letting go of Will.

Before he could leave, however, Will grabbed his arm, pulling him back and into a kiss. These stupid butterflies started flying around in Nico's stomach again. Tangling his hands in Will's hair, he pulled the taller boy towards him, deepening the kiss. One of Will's hands slipped under Nico's shirt, sending a shiver racing down his spine.

Finally, Will pulled away, breathing hard.

"As much as I enjoy this, I don't want to be late for class", he said.

Nico blushed a bit, but nodded. He straightened his shirt and gave Will a small smile.

"Come on, Sunshine", Will said, grabbing Nico's hand and pulling him out of the library.

* * *

They met again later, in PE, the last lesson of the day. Nico didn't like the subject, but he couldn't just drop out of it again.

The teacher, somebody called Coach Feroll, was arguing with one of the girls, leaving the rest of the class to themselves. Will's feet were constantly in action, tapping the floor or nearly bouncing, something that irritated Nico a bit. He leaned over and whispered: "Get your ADHD under control"

"I just want to move", Will whined. "When can we freaking move?"

Nico laughed silently. Will was so adorable sometimes.

Coach Feroll stomped towards the group of students, obviously angry. The girl he was talking to was sitting at the side, a triumphant look on her face.

"Warm-up!", the coach bellowed. "Two times around the football field!"

The group started moving, muttering to each other and sending the teacher glares.

"What are you waiting for?! GET MOVING!", the Coach screamed.

Most of the students started jogging around the football field and some just giggled and mocked the teacher.

"Should we say something?", asked Will, nodding towards the latter.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid"

He followed the first group, glad to actually do something. Nico was a bit like Will in that sense. After a day of sitting in classrooms, he had to get of some steam. He could hear Will's footsteps behind him, so he knew that Will didn't decide to yell at the jocks. That would have just gotten the two of them in some mess and Nico had enough to deal with right now.

After the first round, he started passing some of the others, who were breathing hard. It was unfair of Coach Feroll to make them do that. Not everyone was good in that sort of thing and it made them always feel bad about themselves. Some of the other students here were football or soccer players or on the track team, who needed a lot of stamina, something that set them in a better position right now. So yeah, it was unfair of Coach Feroll to do this. All in all, the whole idea of forcing kids to do sports and giving them grades for it was stupid. What about those who just didn't have the genes? They would always get really bad grades. Sport isn't something you can study for, you needed the right body. So yes, Nico was against PE lessons.

The warm-up finished, some students laying in the grass, unwilling to move.

"Stand up!", yelled Coach Feroll.

Everybody stood up.

"Today, we are going to play field hockey."

Some people cheered, most grumbled.

The coach started handing out hockey sticks. "Does everybody know the rules?"

A grumbled 'Yes' was the answer.

"You two are team captains", the coach said, thankfully in a normal voice, and pointed at two boys.

As they started dividing the group, Nico recognized one of the voices. It was one of the guys from this morning. Great, Nico was going to be sorted last.

Surprisingly, he wasn't. It was just third to last. And he and Will ended up on opposing teams. Not that it bothered Nico much.

Their team captain, a boy named Emilio, picked out the team on the field, the rest had to sit outside and play substitute. Nico found himself next to three other kids, who were all glad, that they didn't have to play. Will stood on the field and looked like he had no idea, what he was supposed to do.

Coach Feroll blew a whistle and the game was on. It didn't take long, until the first one got hurt. A player of the red team (Nico was on the blue one) went off and got replaced by that girl from Nico's chemistry class. What was her name again?

The game in itself was uneventful, until a blue player got fouled and Nico had to play. He didn't really want to.

As soon as he was on the field, someone else got hurt. The girl left with a bleeding nose and hurried towards the school building. Will looked like he wanted to help her, but that wasn't possible. Nico told him as much, when they passed each other shortly.

Two minutes later, Coach Feroll blew the whistle and ordered them towards him. He looked angry, his whole face purple. Nico wondered what his problem was.

"Can't you play even a little game of hockey?!", the coach yelled.

The people in the first row flinched away from him. Seriously, what was his problem?

Will raised his hand, looking angry. Nico wanted to stop him, but it was too late. The coach already nodded towards him, asking him to speak.

"Coach Feroll, if you have a problem with the way we played, could you maybe tell us what it is instead of yelling?", Will said. He looked calm enough, but Nico knew, that he was pissed off.

Coach Feroll looked a bit startled.

"You don't tell me what to do!", he yelled, a bit of spit flying out of his mouth. "Who are you anyway?"

"Will Solace, I'm here since Monday", Will explained. "And it is not good for the educational environment, when the teacher resorts to yelling"

Some of the other students chuckled, others gave him fearful and pitying looks. Nico was trying hard to control his laughter.

"WHAT?!"

A student whimpered and hid behind another boy.

Will motioned towards him. "See? He will never learn if he is scared of the teacher. That's not healthy and leads to serious problems with learning", Will responded. He crossed his arms and scowled at Coach Feroll, who was trying hard to find a comeback.

"But...Fear is good! Then they respect me and do as I say!", he finally yelled.

"There are three things wrong within that sentence", Will said, holding up one finger. "Fear is never good. It's the most awful thing on the whole planet." He stopped for a second. "Okay, maybe not the worst, but one of the worst things. Fear in a classroom doesn't help learning. Fear in PE doesn't help either, it just makes it worse. Students can't concentrate and are too afraid to do something wrong, so they don't try. They don't ask. They won't get better if they are scared of asking how."

Coach Feroll opened his mouth, but Will held up another finger, silencing him. "Secondly, respect and fear are not the same. Respect means admiration for someone and their abilities or feats. It doesn't mean, that the students are afraid of you, but that they know, that you are the one with more knowledge. And you, sir, you have to earn your respect."

Will looked like Annabeth now. Looking deadly serious, scolding a teacher and spouting smart stuff. Well, he would look like her, if Annabeth was a boy.

Some of the other students were now gaping at Will. A girl was giggling about the look on Coach Feroll's face. He did look funny, with his purple face, wide eyes and flared nostrils. Nico could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

"And thirdly", Will continued. "'Do as I say'? Seriously? That whole sentence is just messed up, I didn't actually expect anyone to say that. Ever. That's just wrong, especially when you're talking about students."

It was silent for a second, before Coach Feroll exploded.

"How dare you say something like that to me! I'm your teacher! I'm an adult, I know more and will know more than you ever will!", he screamed.

Nico snorted at the last sentence. As if.

The coach directed his angry glare at Nico. "You have something to say?!"

Nico just shook his head and smiled innocently. Or as innocently as he could, seeing that he was anything but that.

The coach shifted his glare again, going once over all students before settling back on Will.

"Three rounds around the football field. NOW!"

"No, I don't think so", Will responded.

"What?! I'm your fucking teacher, so listen to me!", the coach yelled.

Will rolled his eyes. "What about my speech didn't you understand? Was I talking Chinese or something?"

Will looked thoughtful for a few seconds, before turning to Nico.

"I didn't yell in Greek, did I?", he asked, a slightly horrified look on his face.

"Err... why do you ask me? I wouldn't notice the difference", was Nico's response.

"Oh, right", Will turned to another girl. "Did I talk in a different language?"

The girl looked confused but shook her head.

"Good, or I would have to do it again"

"Wait", somebody said. "You speak Greek?"

Will nodded. "Grew up bilingual, but that doesn't matter right now"

Everybody turned back towards Coach Feroll, who was currently picking his jaw from the ground.

"What...but...DETENTION!"

Will sighed again.

"Nope", he said, plopping the 'p', just to annoy him. "I will go home now and you can't do anything against it. I don't consider you a teacher, because you're a horrible one, and so don't have to do what you say. Bye!"

With these words, Will whirled around and walked from the football field and towards the school.

It was silent again, then Nico burst into laughter. All eyes shifted towards him, but he didn't care. The look on the coach's face paired with Will's words was enough to make him laugh so hard, that his stomach hurt. Or maybe he just wasn't used to laughing.

Slowly, other students started laughing too and soon, half the class was rolling around on the floor, tears flowing out of their eyes. The other half was clutching their stomachs, or hiding their face behind their hands. One was hiccuping.

Coach Feroll was standing there, trying to get them to calm down.

"Detention for all of you!", he screamed, his voice hoarse.

"You aren't qualified to give out detention", somebody yelled and more laughter erupted. Nico had thought, that was impossible.

"Yeah, we should probably all go", somebody else said.

"See you around Mr. Purple-face!", a girl yelled.

She and some of her friends promptly stormed off, still laughing and nearly tripping over themselves. Nico waved at the coach and followed them. The others took this at their signal and disappeared into all directions.

Nico entered the changing room, to find Will putting on his shirt, his hair dripping wet.

"You're totally stupid", he told the son of Apollo.

Will's head snapped up, looking surprised.

"Isn't it another fifteen minutes until lesson ends?", he asked. "And what do you mean with stupid?"

"Do you really expect us to have a normal lesson? After all this?", Nico asked. "And you could have gotten into serious trouble."

Will actually looked guilty now. Before he could say anything, the door swung open and a bunch of laughing boys entered. As soon as they laid eyes on Will, they burst into cheers. One by one, they padded him on the back an told him how awesome he was. Then they started laughing about Coach Feroll's face.

"I will wait for you outside", Will said quietly, but the other boys didn't hear them anyway.

Nico nodded and opened the locker to take out his normal clothes. He didn't like the sport clothes he had to wear. They were too uncomfortable and too red. He could live with the gray shirt, but not with the red shorts. The other boys were still laughing about the lesson and ignored him completely.

Nico got changed in a matter of seconds and then slipped out of the door. The hallway was empty, seeing as the other students still had lessons. Will was nowhere to be seen, either. Nico didn't think much of it, he was waiting outside anyway.

Suddenly a very angry Coach Feroll rounded the corner.

"Oh shit", muttered Nico and slipped into the janitor's closet next to the changing rooms.

The coach stomped over muttering swear words under his breath and what he would do, should he find Will.

Nico exhaled and wanted to open the door again, when a hand laid on his arm. Nico whirled around, pressing the other boy against the wall. He could just make out the features of that creepy boy from his English class, before he felt lips on his.

What the Hades?


	19. Nico has a conversation with bones

**Chapter 19**

To say Nico was shocked was an understatement. He didn't know how to react, didn't even understand, what was going on. It wasn't until the other boy moved one hand over his chest, the other wandering towards dangerous territory, that something in Nico's mind clicked. It was as if somebody kicked him back into reality.

What was that guy doing, kissing him like that?

Nico shoved the boy off him and into the wall. Creepy smacked his head against the wall and stumbled to the ground. He looked surprisingly happy about that. The son of Hades wanted to punch that grin of his face, but that would mean staying in this closet even longer. He already felt cramped and uncomfortable with that boy around.

He pulled open the door, smacking it into Creepy's face, and slipped out. But the wide and empty hallway didn't make it any better. Nico still felt uncomfortable. He didn't even want to think about what just happened.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him. It startled Nico a bit too much for his liking.

"There you are", said the familiar voice of his boyfriend and an arm was laid on Nico's shoulder.

"Gina said to meet us at the mall.", Will told him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Nico looked up to find Will watching him with concerned eyes.

"Yeah", Nico responded.

He should probably tell Will about Creepy, but he didn't want to. It made him feel dump and embarrassed. And besides, he had dealt with worse things, he could handle this.

Will nodded and squeezed his shoulder.

"Should there be anything, tell me", he said, before pulling him towards the door.

In that moment, the gong sounded and the hallway filled with students. Nico caught a glimpse of Creepy, a black eye forming, before he was outside. That boy looked furious, definitely not a good thing.

Outside, students were talking and laughing, the sun still shining brightly. So brightly, it nearly blinded Nico at first.

"What got your dad in such a good mood?", Nico grumbled quietly.

Will started laughing.

"No idea. Better not to worry about it for too long", he told him. "I'm excited for ice cream"

Nico looked at him startled. "What?"

"Didn't you listen? We're going to eat ice cream now", Will explained.

Nico looked at him confused. When did they decide that?

Will sighed and told him about a talk with Gina and them going to the mall. "She said, you agreed", he finished.

By now they had passed the front gate.

"I don't want to go to the mall", Nico protested.

"But pleeaase", Will begged, giving him puppy-dog-eyes.

Nico rolled his eyes, but shook his head.

"You can go, I'd rather go home", he said.

Will stopped and looked at him weirdly.

"You sure everything is alright?", he sounded concerned.

Nico huffed annoyed and spun around, facing him.

"Yes!", he snapped.

Will looked surprised, but nodded.

"Okay, then we will go home", he said. He looked a bit sad at that.

"As I said, you can go and meet up with Gina, I have nothing against that", Nico told him again.

"But then you're al-", Will started.

"Gods, Solace! I don't need a freaking babysitter!", Nico yelled at him. Will jumped back in surprise. "I am perfectly cable of looking after myself, so stop treating me like a glass doll!", he said in a calmer voice.

"I didn't mean it like that", Will mumbled. He looked a bit hurt at Nico's outburst.

Nico ignored him and whirled around again, stomping off towards their apartment.

He didn't even know, why he was so angry at Will. It wasn't like he did anything. Maybe the whole situation was too much to handle. In the last few days so much happened, that he wondered if it would just be better back at camp. He probably shouldn't have signed up for the project. It just got him into this mess. Whatever 'this' was. Nico felt like he had lost complete control over his life and some god was now just throwing stuff at him, until he snapped. Probably Cupid, that bastard.

He reached the building and found that the front door was open. A young woman was standing inside, struggling to balance a grocery bag, a baby and the post in her arms while having an discussion on her phone.

Nico, having calmed down a bit, offered to help her, but she shook her head at him and went back to talking. Nico shrugged and went past her towards the stairs. In that moment, the kid leaned over their mother's shoulder a bit too far.

It happened in slow motion, the woman screamed as the little child fell off, headfirst towards the floor. Nico's reflexes kicked in and caught it, just before it landed. The kid looked stunned and Nico had no idea how he should explain how he moved so fast.

The woman was staring at him for a second, before dropping her bag and wrapping her arms around him.

"Oh god, thank you. You just saved his life", she said, bordering on tears.

Nico was pretty sure that a child couldn't die from falling a few feet, but he didn't want to argue with her about that.

As if she could read his thoughts, she added: "He was born to early, his skull isn't hard enough. He wouldn't survive such a fall on the head"

Gingerly, she took her son out of Nico's arms, who was a bit stunned.

"Er...I will just go then...bye?", he mumbled, still not sure what to make of the situation.

He started walking towards the stairs again, the woman clutching her baby to her.

"Thanks!", she yelled after him.

He gave her a small smile, before disappearing up the stairs. This had just been a bit weird. Even for him.

He reached the right floor and stopped in front of his door, realizing, that he didn't have a key. Normally that shouldn't be a problem, but after Leo told him about his powers affecting the concealer balls, he didn't want to risk anything. So he had two options. Either using his powers and attracting a monster or not using them and attracting stares because he sat in front of his door. He definitely preferred the monster over the stares.

Holding his hand over the keyhole, he focused on the shadows in there to form a key and harden it. This done, he flicked his wrist and the shadow-key unlocked the door. Nico smirked at his feat and pushed open the door.

The door came in contact with something and a 'clonk' was heard. Nico poked his head around the door and looked at the floor. Why was there a human skull in his apartment?

He slipped inside and picked it up. Better question, why was Jules-Albert's skull in his apartment? And where was the rest?

Looking around, he didn't find a trace of the rest of his zombie chauffeur.

"Jules-Albert?", he asked into the empty room.

"Oui, Monsieur Nico?"

The voice came from the skull in Nico's hand. Surprised, he dropped it.

"What the...", he said.

The skull had glowing green eyes, which looked up at him and was clattering unhappily with his teeth.

"I believe the word you are looking for is 'hell', but I must remind you not to use such vulgar language", the skull told him.

Nico squeaked and kicked the skull across the living room, where it slammed into the wall next to the TV.

"Monsieur Nico, please refrain from kicking me", sounded Jules-Albert's voice.

Nico was seriously freaked out now.

"What happened to you?", Nico asked, after recovering from the shock of having a talking skull with glowing eyes.

Said skull was currently sitting on a cushion on the kitchen table. Nico was standing in front of him, his sword was in reaching distance. Just in case.

Jules-Albert slowly told him about a furious god showing up and transforming him into this, which should wear off in the next few days. It was meant as a warning to never call him a bastard again.

Nico felt bad at this. It was his fault that Cupid transformed Jules-Albert into a living skull.

"And what am I supposed to do now?", he asked.

"Homework", was the response.

Nico blinked. He didn't mean that, but it was a good idea nonetheless. He hadn't done anything since the start of the week.

And so it came, that Nico di Angelo made his homework.

Not.

He never came far because a voice in his head was distracting him. It was telling him to do something about his various problems, instead of solving problems for algebra lessons. Well, if Nico knew how to do that, there wouldn't be any problems. Seriously, Nico was maybe the worst at solving his personal problems. All he ever did was ignoring them or running away from them. And in the end, they all came back to bite him. So yes, it would be a good idea to do something about that, but he didn't know how. And the people who could help him with that, were at the other ends of the country. Well, except for one.

"Jules-Albert, when does the next bus towards Central Loop leave?", he asked.

"In five minutes, monsieur", the skull responded.

"Good", Nico said and jumped up.

He grabbed the keys a bit of mortal money and slipped out of the door.

Peaking his head back in he said: "Don't go anywhere"

If skulls could look annoyed, Jules-Albert did.

* * *

Getting off the bus in the middle of Central Loop, Nico looked around for the shopping center. It was located in one of the tall buildings along the street, Nico just had to find it. And there it was.

He headed towards the big glass doors, nearly getting run over by some tourists on the way.

The mall wasn't that impressive. It wasn't as tall as the other buildings, more like six high stories and not so long either. But it was full of people. According to a sign, the food court was on floor four, so at the top.

Nico could only hope, that Will and Gina were still there, or he would never find them. And then he had made the whole trip for nothing. Not that it was a really long trip.

The ice cream parlor wasn't hard to find. A long queue was in front of it and all of the seats were taken. Some children were screaming and people talked in every language imaginable. All in all, it was really loud. He somehow managed to find the blonde and the redhead without much trouble. They had an unused chair besides them, something that made Nico wonder how they managed that.

He weaved through the people, nearly getting iced coffee on his shirt when a elderly man bumped into him. Gina, who was currently talking, had a half finished strawberry glass in front of her, while Will was poking in a chocolate one.

Nico reached their table and plopped down in the free seat. Both looked at him startled.

"You said that I should talk to you if I ever had a problem, right?", Nico addressed his boyfriend.

"So something _is_ up", Will responded.

"Yeah, well, first of all, there are the concealer balls who are pissing me off", Nico began.

"First of all? There is more than one?", Will asked concerned.

"Will you let me finish?", Nico asked.

Gina snickered, but tried for a serious look when both looked at her. She made a 'get on with it'-motion with her hand.

"Secondly, we are attacked by monsters nearly daily. And if that doesn't happen, something else goes majorly wrong.", Nico went on. "Thirdly, I'm crazy. I'm totally paranoid and there is a freaking voice in my head I just had a conversation with half an hour ago."

Gina and Will shared a concerned look.

"Then there is that problem with the concealer balls attracting monsters. I don't know if we are safer with or without them. And I can't help but feel, that that is my fault"

He held up an hand, stopping Will from saying something.

"Andy is another problem. We don't know where he is or if he still plans to kill us, not that would be a surprise. Then there was that thing last night. I still don't know, how much of that is true."

"Nico-"

"Stop interrupting, Will!", Gina scolded.

"Thanks, Gina. Anyway, there is also the problem, that apparently the whole school thinks I'm some freaky emo loser. Then today I got kissed by some creepy kid. That wasn't nice and I feel kinda dump to let that happen.", Nico took a deep breath. "I have a feeling, that Paul gets suspicious and after what she heard yesterday, Akemi can't act normally around me anymore. Finally, I insulted a god and said god turned my zombie into a talking skull. I feel like my life is spinning out of control and I don't like that. So yeah, you could say that I have some kind of a problem right now"

Will and Gina stared at him with wide eyes.

"You have a zombie?", Gina asked stunned.

Nico frowned at her. Was that the only thing she got out of his rant?

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?", Will asked.

"I just did", Nico responded.

Will leaned back. "That is a lot to take in, you know. Why did you just told me this now and not earlier?"

Nico shifted around in his seat.

"I thought I could handle them myself", he confessed.

"So, why the change of heart, then?", Gina asked.

"The voice in my head told me to do something about them and because I suck at handling problems, I came to ask you for help", Nico told them.

"The voice in your head?", Gina asked slowly.

"I told you, I was going crazy."

Nico buried his face in his hand.

He didn't need to see the two of them, to know that they were concerned.

Before they could say anything, a loud roar was heard. Nico's head snapped up. Will was looking around wildly, Gina was a bit confused.

The roar sounded again and the floor shook for a few seconds. Glasses fell on the floor, and children screamed.

Glass was breaking near the parlor and people started to scream. Some were running towards the escalator and the stairs, others were fleeing towards the other side of the floor.

"We should get out of here", said Nico.

The three teenagers started running towards the stairs. A loud crash was heard, followed by a louder roar. In front of them was a hellhound tearing through the glass front of a Chinese take-away.


	20. Jonathan gets knocked out with a pan

**Chapter 20**

"Holy hell, what is that?", Gina asked shocked.

"Hellhound", Will told her. "Come on!"

He grabbed Gina's arm and started dragging her away from the stairs. Some of the mortals had apparently noticed the monster too, because they started running in the same direction. Nico followed his boyfriend and Gina.

"We have to get him somewhere else, the mortals will get hurt", he told them.

As if on cue, the hellhound nearly squashed two teenagers.

"Probably a good idea", Gina said.

They ran into a fast-food restaurant, ducking behind the counter. The restaurant was thankfully empty, so no-one was in harms reach.

"Gina, you should go somewhere safe", Will told the girl.

"No way! If I'm gonna be a hunter, I have to learn how to fight", Gina responded. She picked up a frying pan.

Will looked stunned.

"I should have never told you that", Nico muttered.

"Wait, you gave her that idea?", Will asked him accusingly.

"Not now, Will", Nico hissed.

The hellhound crashed through the wall and howled loudly.

"Now would be a good time to kill him", Nico said quietly.

Will nodded and transformed his new armband into his new bow. Gina clutched her pan determinedly. Nico pulled his sword out of the shadows.

Suddenly a boy, maybe a year younger than them came running through the door to the kitchen.

"Oi! It's me you want! So, catch me if you can!", he yelled. To the three stunned teenagers he said: "Don't worry, I will save you."

"Say what?", Nico asked.

The boy pulled out a gold sword. It didn't look really impressive.

"I will save you. This wooden sword you have won't help you against a monster"

With that, he ran towards the hellhound, screaming his head off on the way.

"Wood?!", Nico asked shocked.

Will shrugged confused.

"Are we going to save him?", Gina asked.

She was peaking over the top of the counter. Nico looked over it too. The boy was laying on the floor, sword on the other side of the room. The hellhound was ignoring him, slowly stalking towards the counter.

Will stood up, pulled two arrows out of his quiver and knocked them both.

"Don't fire, you will just make him angry!", the boy yelled.

Will ignored him and two seconds later, the beast had an arrow sticking out of each eye. The hellhound howled loudly and tried to claw the arrows out.

"Oh shit", Nico said.

Everybody looked at him.

"He's calling for reinforcement", Nico explained.

Will knocked another arrow, this time it had a small container behind the arrowhead.

"Get away from the hellhound", he ordered the boy.

"But I can kill him", he protested.

"Just get out of the way!", Nico snapped.

"No", the boy declared and crossed his arms.

Nico rolled his eyes and told Will to fire.

"But he will get hurt", the son of Apollo responded.

"I don't care", Nico snapped.

The hellhound was in a crouch, ready to jump. Will sighed, but let go off the bowstring. It hit the hellhound directly in the chest, just in time for him to jump. The explosion wasn't big, but it still knocked them back a few steps. On the other side of the counter was nothing left but a puddle of yellow dust.

"Holy Juno!", the boy exclaimed.

His face was blackened a bit and one his eyebrows was burned off. He looked hilarious.

"You could have killed me!", he yelled.

"We told you to move", Gina said and pointed at him with her pan.

Nico rolled his eyes. Ungrateful brat. He turned to Will: "Did you carry that arrow around with you all the time?"

Will blushed a bit and shrugged.

A growl sounded outside. Nico just noticed how silent it was.

He ran out of the restaurant and looked over the railing. The floors were open in the middle, so that you could look down and into every floor. The whole mall was empty. Police cars were parked in front of the glass doors and the blinking of the lights gave the whole building a spooky atmosphere. A giant hellhound was shuffling through the racks of a Forever 21, another was destroying the Starbucks on the ground floor. The growl had come from the hellhound on the other side of their floor. He stood in the remains of a café and glared at Nico with deep red eyes.

Will appeared next to him and gulped.

"He doesn't look like he came for the ice cream", he said.

Nico gave him a look saying _Seriously?_

Gina walked towards them, the boy followed her. He was holding his sword again.

"That's gonna be easy. Hellhounds are the easiest to kill", he said confidently.

"Who are you?", Nico asked him.

"I'm Jonathan, first generation legacy of Mercury", he said. He looked proud at that. "And who are you? Third or fourth generation legacies? With your weapons you can't be really good ones"

"When this is over, I'm going to kill him", Nico told Will, who was scowling.

Jonathan scoffed. "I want to see you try", he muttered.

The hellhound interrupted them. He was crouching down, ready to jump at them.

"Scatter!", Will yelled.

The four dived out of the way when the hellhound jumped. He landed, shaking the floor. Nico scrambled to his feet and ran over to Gina. Pulling her up, he shoved her into a store.

"Stay here", he advised.

Surprisingly, Gina looked a bit relieved and nodded.

Nico turned back to the hellhound, who was currently ready to pounce on Will. That's not good. Jonathan was not doing anything. He was running towards the stairs. What an idiot.

"Nico!", Will yelled.

He was trying to crawl backwards away from the hellhound.

"Yeah, wait a second", Nico yelled back.

Will gave him a disbelieving look, but Nico ran behind the monster, where he couldn't see the son of Apollo anymore. He needed to distract the monster from Will. The only problem was, that the hellhound didn't notice him.

"Hey!", Nico yelled.

The hellhound didn't react. Instead he growled and jumped. Will squeaked and rolled out of the way. He patted his arm and then looked horrified. Suddenly, the hellhound jumped back towards him, slamming him on the floor.

"Will!", Nico yelled.

Now he was horrified. He couldn't do anything. He was too far away to attack. Except if he threw his sword. Wait! Nico glanced down at the black blade in his hand. A moment later it was sticking out of the hellhound's snout.

It looked up enraged, giving Will time to pull an arrow from under him. He trust it upwards, hitting the monstrous dog in the neck. Nico willed the shadows to push the sword farther into the monster, which distracted the hellhound long enough for Will to get away from him. Will sprinted towards his bow, which laid near the entrance of their previous hide-out.

The hellhound was now running at full speed towards the son of Hades. Nico sidestepped, the monster crashing headfirst through the railing. It yelped as it was falling towards the floor.

It gave a loud crash, the floor cracked and the building shook again. Jonathan screamed somewhere. The hellhound on the floor was whimpering and limped off, towards a store selling clothing. Nico's sword was laying on the floor, where the monster had crashed. Will came to a stop next to his boyfriend, bow in hand again.

"I think he won't be that big of a problem", he muttered.

"Don't jinx it", Nico told him.

Gina peaked her head out of the store.

"Is it over?", she asked.

Will shook his head. "Shouldn't be that hard now, though"

Suddenly a battle cry was heard and Jonathan stormed towards the hellhound on the second floor, which was the biggest.

"Forget what I said about killing him, the hellhound will do it for me", Nico muttered.

"I think we should help him", Will said.

He took off towards the stairs.

Jonathan was thrown through a shopping window and slammed into a rack of winter jackets. Why they sold these at the end of spring, Nico didn't know.

He told Gina to stay were she was and wanted to follow Will, when he saw the smaller hellhound on the ground floor starting to climb up the stairs. Will didn't seem to notice. By the speed they both were going, they would meet each other on the second floor, something which probably wouldn't end good.

"Will!", Nico yelled. "Get off the stairs!"

Will didn't hear him. Nico cursed silently and used the nearest shadow to travel to Will. He reached him just as the hellhound jumped the last few steps, landing on the second floor.

Nico pulled the son of Apollo backwards to avoid him crashing into the monster. Will squeaked surprised. The monster barked at them and charged.

The two boys sprinted down the stairs, the hellhound following close behind. Nico seriously wished, that his sword was in his hand right now. Between the first and the ground floor, Nico tripped, causing both boys to crash down the last set of stairs. They landed in a heap at the foot of the stair.

"Ow", Nico muttered and slowly got back on his feet.

His heard hurt and he was dizzy. Perfect starting point for fighting monsters.

Said monster was now in front of them again and Nico slowly backed away from it. Nico glanced over his shoulder, his sword was laying fifty meters behind him with no shadow in sight to get it.

Will grunted and sat up and looked around disoriented. The hellhound moved towards him, seeing as he was the perfect victim right now.

Determination surged through Nico and cleared his head, that idiotic dog wouldn't kill his boyfriend now. He pulled out the concealer ball.

"Hey, doggy! Fetch!" Nico threw the ball towards the other side of the hall, where it burst and emitted a dark smoke.

At first, the hellhound ignored it, then he perked up and sniffed. He howled in victory, before charging past Nico and towards the broken ball. Nico could hear the hellhound upstairs running towards it too. That was a bit of a surprise.

"Wha...?", Will asked and looked at Nico questioningly.

He looked fine, so Nico left him sitting there and went for his sword.

Apparently the monsters noticed, that there wasn't any demigod there and turned towards Nico. He was still a few meters away from his sword and froze mid-sprint. The two hounds looked angry. The injured hellhound was glaring at him from a store at the other side of the room. They seemingly thought, that Nico was responsible for this. Not that they were wrong.

They all started moving simultaneously. Nico broke into a sprint once more, picked up his sword and turned just in time for the small hellhound to charge. The son of Hades barely managed to duck out of the way, the monster's jaw snapping shut next to his arm. Nico trust his sword into its side, making it yelp in pain. That wasn't enough to kill it, however, and the hellhound slashed at Nico with its claws. Nico jumped back in surprise, only getting a small cut.

"Why can't you just die", he muttered.

The injured hellhound had by now reached them and attacked from behind. This time, he wasn't so lucky and slammed into the ground. The hellhound was standing over him, sharp teeth way to near for Nico's liking. And the breath of the beast was horrible.

Nico kicked upwards with his legs, managing to get the monster even angrier. The son of Hades reached for his sword, but the hellhound stepped down on his arm. Nico cried out as the claws dug into his flesh.

Suddenly Nico saw Jonathan running at them, screaming again. The hellhound on top of him looked startled and let go of Nico's arm. The demigod used this distraction to reach for his sword, ignoring the pain shooting up his arm at the motion. He stabbed the monster in the neck, next to where Will's arrow was sticking out.

Apparently that was finally enough for the hellhound to explode into yellow dust. Jonathan nearly chopped Nico's head of, not fast enough to stop his movements. Thankfully, Nico's reflexes were still as good as ever and he blocked the blow.

He jumped up, moved his sword to the other hand and whirled around to the other two hellhounds. Will was currently firing on arrow after another at the small one, the big one bared its teeth and charged at the two boys.

Nico pushed Jonathan out of the way and jumped to the side. The hellhound completely focused on Jonathan, who was frozen in place. Nico sighed, seemed like he actually had to safe that idiot. He ran towards the tail of the beast, which was swishing around. Grabbing a hold of it, he used the momentum to get on the back of the hellhound, landing in a crouch. The monster didn't seem to notice him. Was he really that light?

He stood up slowly, holding his arms out to balance himself. Walking on top of a moving animal was harder than the movies made it look like. Somehow he reached its head before the monster reached Jonathan, who was now staring at him with big eyes. Nico glanced back at the third hellhound, but there was only yellow dust and Will, who was looking a bit shocked. Nico grinned and slammed his sword into the monster's head.

It yelped and shook his head, throwing Nico off. The son of Hades slammed painfully through a glass window, which didn't help his headache. And now he had a few cuts along his arms. At least the hellhound was dead, too, if the yellow dust showering him was anything to go by.

Jonathan was still staring at him in shock. Nico just noticed, that he was covered in cuts and bruises.

Suddenly, Will burst through the shattered window and glared down at him.

"What were you thinking?", he hissed. "You could have died, stupid!"

"We nearly die all the time", Nico grumbled and slowly got back up on his feet.

He nearly fell over again, but Will grabbed him before he could.

"But...How?!", Jonathan yelled.

The two Greek demigods looked over at the legacy with matching scowls.

"How did you do that? With that sword? What kind is it? Who are you?", he fired off question after question.

Suddenly he broke up in the middle of the sentence and fell over. Gina was standing behind him, clutching her pan. She dropped it when she laid eyes on the two boys.

"That was awesome!", she exclaimed and ran towards them. "And you're alive!"

She pulled both of them into a hug, Nico hissed in pain. In an instant, she let go and looked at him worried.

"You are bleeding", she said. Nico looked at his arms and shrugged.

"I think I have some band-aid", Gina continued. "It's in my bag, I will just go and get it"

She turned to leave, but in that moment the front doors opened and a bunch of police men came into the building. Will pulled her back into the store and told her to be quiet.

"Can you get us out of here?", Will asked Nico quietly.

Nico nodded, but looked at Jonathan.

"What about him?", he asked.

They were all currently hidden from the police, but Nico didn't want to risk being seen.

"Leave that to me", Will said.

He crept towards Jonathan, looking out for the police the whole time. Gina grabbed Nico's arm and laid it over her shoulder. He looked at her questioningly.

"You look ready to fall over", she told him. "Are you sure, we can't go and grab our bags? My money is in there"

"Let's worry about that later", Nico said.

In that moment someone yelled: "There is someone!"

Will cursed, picked Jonathan up and ran back to the other two. Nico grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shadows. They reappeared in their living room, falling over each other.

"I'll get the nectar and then we will continue our talk from earlier", Will said and stood up.

Nico pushed Jonathan off him and Gina picked herself up from the floor.

"You want to stand up?", she asked Nico.

Nico, who was still laying on the floor, shook his head. He felt like a horde of wild centaurs ran him over. Was it him or was the ceiling spinning?

Will's head appeared in his field of vision, holding a cup with nectar in it. He helped Nico into a sitting position and forced him to drink. The spinning stopped and the throbbing pain in his arm lessened.

"This is so cool", Gina said quietly.

"Not really", Will responded. He looked at Nico sternly. "You should stop nearly killing yourself, you know. And stop using your powers so much, that isn't good for your health."

Nico gave him a small grin in response. "It's not my fault I got the suicidal powers."

Gina plopped down next to them and poked Jonathan in the ribs.

"Is he going to be okay?", she asked.

Will nodded and picked him up again. He laid him on the couch and then sat down again.

"So, Nico, back to the topic. Who kissed you and why?", Will asked angrily.

Nico wondered if he would get out of this conversation if he passed out now.


	21. Clovis is awake

**Chapter 21**

"So, what you are telling me is, that you hid in a closet from Coach Feroll and then some boy went up to you and kissed you?", Will asked. He looked aghast.

Nico fiddled with his fingers. "Sorry", he muttered.

"Why do you think that's your fault?", Will now sounded confused.

That was actually a really good question, so Nico shrugged in response. It was silent for a while.

"Who was it?", Will asked.

"Why do you want to know?", Nico wondered.

"So that I can beat him up. Nobody kisses my boyfriend against his will and gets away with it"

Now Will looked downright scary. He had a wild gleam in his eyes and his mouth set into a snarl.

"You want to beat someone up? You?", Nico asked.

Will nodded.

"I think I know, who it was", Gina piped up. "He had black hair and watery blue eyes, right?"

Nico was surprised. "Yeah"

Gina nodded.

"That's Cole Creepman", she told them.

Will and Nico looked at her confused. What kind of name was that? Gina obviously noticed that.

"Okay, that's not his real name. His name is Cole Lampman, but we call him that because he's a creep", she explained. "He stalked some girl two years ago and supposedly sexually assaulted someone else. They never found evidence against him, so they let him go. A mistake if you ask me. Some girls said, that he spied on them in the changing room once. One boy complained about getting stares from him. But he's some relative of the headmaster and so can't get expelled"

Will stared at her in shock.

"That's horrible! I'm definitely going to beat him up", he exclaimed.

"Calm down, Will.", Nico muttered.

"No! I'm not. This is not acceptable. That guy can't do stuff like that and not face punishment!"

Nico laid a hand on Will's knee to calm him down. He had never seen his boyfriend so furious. Gina was biting her lip, deep in thought.

"Monsieur Nico, Monsieur Will, your guest is waking up", sounded the voice of Jules-Albert and interrupted the silence.

Gina screamed and hid behind Will, her eyes darting through the room until they landed on the talking skull. She screamed again, grabbed the nearest weapon, which was a book, and threw it.

"Mademoiselle Gina, please refrain from throwing books."

"What is that?", Gina asked, looking horrified.

"That's Jules-Albert", Nico said. He waved at the skull. "How's it going, Jules?"

Jules-Albert looked annoyed again. Will cocked his head to the side.

"This is so weird", he muttered.

A groan sounded from Jonathan. Everyone turned to look at him. The boy was sitting up slowly, grabbing his head.

"Where am I?", he asked.

"Our living room", Will explained.

"But, why?"

"Because the police would have arrested you if we didn't bring you here.", Will told him. He got up and pulled Jonathan from the couch. "And now you are going"

"Wait! I have questions", Jonathan said.

Will looked at Nico, who shrugged.

"Ugh, fine"

"What is your sword made of? I have never seen one like it before"

"Definitely not wood", was all Nico gave as an answer. J

onathan blushed a bit, but looked like he waited for more. After neither of the two demigods explained further, he nodded.

"Who are you? What are your names?", he asked.

Will looked annoyed. "That's none of your concern. Now, go!"

He grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him out of the door. Jonathan stumbled, but managed to hold onto the door frame, just as Will slammed the door shut.

"OW!", could be heard and the door swung open again.

Jonathan fell to his knees and hugged his fingers to his chest. Tears trickled out of his eyes. Will's eyes widened and he crouched down in front of the other boy.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you", he said. "Can I?"

Will motioned to the injured hand and Jonathan slowly showed it to him.

"What's he doing?", asked Gina silently, making Nico jumps slightly. He scowled at her for sneaking up on him.

"It hurts!", yelled Jonathan, now definitely crying.

Will seemingly flinched and looked at the other two helplessly.

"I'm a horrible person", he told them.

Nico rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You just caught your fingers in the door. That's not the end of the world", he snapped at Jonathan.

The boy looked a bit taken aback. "But...but..."

"Oh shut up you little cry baby", Gina yelled. "Say sorry to Will and go!"

"But...why? Why should I say sorry? He hurt me!", Jonathan countered, furiously wiping away the tears.

Will looked miserable.

"Because you make him feel bad! I hate to see him sad!", Gina yelled back. She clamped her hands over her mouth and blushed.

"Did I really just said that?", she muttered to herself.

"Yeah", Nico told her.

Gina now resembled a tomato and Nico had to suppress a laugh.

"I will...bring him to the door", she mumbled and ran off towards Jonathan. She pulled him to his feet and pushed him out the door.

"See you tomorrow", she waved awkwardly, before racing down the hallway. The door slammed shut after her.

"I feel so bad", Will said and sat down fully.

"For what? That was an accident", Nico said. He was still sitting in the same spot as before.

"But I hurt him! I'm not supposed to do that. I'm a healer, Nico, I make sure that people aren't hurting.", Will said.

Nico didn't know what to say to make him feel better. He had never been in a situation like this before. He considered going over to Will, but that would mean moving and Nico was sore all over. And the ceiling had started spinning again during Gina's and Jonathan's argument. He doubted he would get far without passing out and that wouldn't help Will at all. Maybe they could IM some of the others? That would take Will's mind off things and Nico wanted to talk to Jason anyway. He hadn't spoken to him in a few days.

"That's a good idea", Will said.

Nico's head snapped up to look at him, resulting in some dark spots dancing through his vision.

"What?", he asked.

"Your idea. With the IM?", Will answered. He was sounding concerned.

"Wait, did I say that out loud?", Nico asked. He noticed, that his voice was a bit unstable. What was going on?

"Yeah...are you feeling alright?"

Nico nodded. Bad idea. Now everything was spinning and the dark spots were back. Nico squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that it would stop soon.

"Nico!", Will's voice was coming from directly in front of him. Or was it next to him? Gods, his senses were fucked up right now.

Someone, probably Will, was touching his head.

"Too much blood loss...when did it start bleeding again?", Will muttered. "Can you stand up? We have to get you somewhere to lay down"

Nico blinked his eyes open and tried to focus on his boyfriend. Standing up didn't sound so hard. Pushing himself up with one hand, he slowly got to his feet, Will holding onto his shoulder the whole time. The room was spinning even more now and everything was either blurred or dark.

"I think I'm gonna pass out", Nico muttered.

"Oh no, you don'!", Will snapped.

Nico didn't listen to him. It was easier to let himself fall into the darkness than concentrating on staying awake.

* * *

Nico found himself in the living room of some small one story house. It was painted a light green, with a wand tattoo of some bamboos behind the white couch. There was also a fluffy white carpet, a TV and a glass table. On the couch were even fluffier green cushions. Nico wondered what he was doing there.

He had never seen that room before in his life, so how come he dreamed of it. It had to be a dream, the alternative would be an accidental shadow-travel trip. But then he wouldn't be feeling this good. Looking down at his arms, he noticed that the cuts from earlier were all gone.

A sound was coming from the doorway. Nico whirled around, just to come face-to-face with a sleepwalking Clovis. The son of Hades sighed. Clovis was at the other end of the country and he still managed to dream so hard, that he pulled Nico towards him. It was a wonder, that no-one else was here.

He reached out and snapped his fingers next to Clovis's ear. The other demigod was startled awake and blinked up at Nico.

"What a surprise", he said, clearly not surprised.

"Clovis, can't you stay awake for a few hours?", Nico asked.

"I'm awake now"

"No, you aren't. You're still sleeping."

Clovis looked around, his eyes getting fixed on the couch.

"Yeah", he sighed dreamily. "Sleeping is great"

He took two steps forwards and let himself fall on the couch, burying his face in the pillows. Nico groaned. Clovis lifted his head slightly.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really...how's it going?", he asked.

"The usual. Got ten detentions already for falling asleep in class. It's not my problem it is so boring", Clovis told him.

Nico nodded and an awkward silence stretched between them. Sure, they were friends, somewhat, but Nico never knew what to talk about with the son of Hypnos. Normally, Nico would just busy himself until he woke up or Clovis would show him scenes from a councilor's meeting he had missed. But there wasn't anything to do in this room. It's not like the Hypnos-Cabin, where a bunch of books were laying around. Some daughter of Athena had dragged them into there after landing there for a few times. Everyone stopping by in Clovis's dreams read them now.

Suddenly Clovis's head snapped up.

"How long do you plan on staying?", he asked.

Nico shrugged. "Dunno, I passed out."

"Monster attacks?", Clovis asked.

"Yeah. You got some, too?"

Clovis nodded and sat up. He looked more awake than in the last five years they had known each other.

"Leo called us and told us not to use our powers. But it's hard, you know? My 'powers' are sleeping and I do that all the time.", Clovis sighed. "Pollux makes every fruit tree bloom he is walking by, so that's not helping either."

"I know what you mean.", Nico said and sat down on the carpet. (It was indeed very fluffy) "My powers are in constant use, too, and with the monster attacks Will has a lot of heeling to do."

"I wonder who they tested these balls on...that person apparently didn't have a special talent", Clovis mused. "Maybe a Hermes kid?"

Nico shook his head. "They got talents, too, you know. Every demigod has them."

Clovis nodded, deep in thought.

"You wanna watch TV?", he suddenly asked, startling Nico.

The son of Hades had assumed, that Clovis was asleep again. He shrugged. Clovis grabbed a remote and switched on the TV.

"Can you even do that in your dreams?", Nico asked. Clovis gave him a look that said _I'm the son of the god of sleep, I can do whatever I want while sleeping_.

Nico focused on the screen, where the news were currently playing. Something about someone winning in the lottery. Nico wanted to ask Clovis to go to another channel, when something more interesting came up.

"And now a more serious matter", the newswoman said. "An attack on a mall in downtown Chicago shocked the city. Today, at four pm a group of mostly unknown teenagers entered the mall. A few minutes later the building shook and the attack started. An explosion on one of the upper floors, caused by the teenagers, according to witnesses, thankfully harmed no-one. The explosion resulted in a fight with three members of a near-by gang and their dogs. When the police arrived, the teenagers fled the scene, the three men weren't found. According to witnesses they were killed by the teenagers, though their remains aren't found yet. With that, I give to Henry Marks, who is live in Chicago"

The screen was now split, the left side showed a small man, who was fiddling with his microphone.

"Let me guess. That is the reason you passed out?", Clovis said.

Nico could only nod. This was bad. This was so so bad. If these 'witnesses' had seen them, they could get into serious trouble.

"What kind of monster was it?", Clovis asked.

"Hellhounds. Four of them actually", Nico answered.

He focused back on the TV.

"How many casualties, are there?", asked the woman.

"Only four. Apparently it was four different men, who were attacked. One of them died an explosion in a fast-food restaurant on one of the upper floors. The other three were later killed by the four teenagers. The police doesn't know yet, why only them and why in such a public space. There are, however, fifteen injured persons, but none of them heavily.", the man replied.

In the background police lights were blinking and people were running around. It was already dark.

Dread settled into Nico's stomach. Fifteen people were harmed because of them. And they thought that they killed four others. If they ever found out, who they were, Gina was in so much trouble. Will and Nico could just go back to Camp, but Gina? They should have told her to run away.

"Are there any suspects?", asked the woman.

The man nodded. Nico just felt worse.

"We are speaking of four white teenagers, about 14 to 16 years old. Three of them are male. The female is already identified"

"WHAT?", Nico burst out.

Clovis send him a concerned look.

A picture of Gina's student ID showed up. Thankfully, her hair was brown in the picture.

"Her name is Gina Spacey, a 16 year old girl from Chicago. If anybody sees her, or knows where to find her, call the police."

"Thank you, Henry", the newswoman said. "More news and updates to this topic you can find on-"

The TV went out.

"Nico? Do you know her?", Clovis asked.

Nico nodded and turned towards Clovis. "I need to wake up now!"

"You know I can't do that...I wish I could help you right now...", Clovis looked sincere.

"Then you wake up and give Will a call. Tell him what's up and to wake me up! And tell him to find Gina as fast as possible!", Nico told him. "You can do that!"

Clovis nodded and scrambled out of the room.

A few seconds later, the dream collapsed and the next thing Nico knew, he was standing in the Underworld, a cliff in front of him. The son of Hades couldn't care less about this nightmare right now, there were more serious problems.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to wake up. Only problem, it didn't work. It never did. Now the pit started to call him in, which didn't go well with Nico's concentration. Thankfully, before he could fall, someone shook his shoulder.

Nico's eyes snapped open. He was laying on the couch, Will was standing above him, a panicked expression on his face.

"Clovis told me everything and I switched on the news. That's horrible!", he explained himself.

Nico nodded. His real self didn't feel as good as his dream self, but he would have to manage.

"Did you reach Gina?", he asked.

Will shook his head. "But Hazel called and asked us if we were okay. Apparently she watched the news, too."

"And?"

"I told her everything. She's booking a train ticket to New York for us and has contacted Lou Ellen. Now we only need to find Gina and we're off and Hazel wants to make sure Gina gets off the suspect list", Will rattled off.

He pulled Nico into a sitting position and gave him a piece of Ambrosia.

"You get better now, I can't have you passing out again"

Nico shoved the Ambrosia in his mouth, ignoring the fantastic taste. Now that he knew what it was, it tasted even better.

He wanted to ask, what they were going to do next, when somebody pounded on their door. The two demigods traded a glance.

"Gina?", asked Will.

Nico shrugged. Will went over to the door and pulled it open. In front of it stood a heavily-breathing Paul.

"Paul?", Will asked confused.

"What are you doing here?"

Paul looked between the two of them.

"Please tell me you aren't some psychotic kids who go around and attack someone.", he said. "Please tell me you have never killed anyone"

Nico grimaced, while Will scratched his neck nervously.

"We...can explain?"

Paul's shoulders deflated and he now looked tired.

"You better have a good explanation as to why I have murder suspects as friends or I'm forced to call the cops on you"


	22. Paul is scared of bows

**Chapter 22**

Explaining about the Greek and Roman gods to Paul was harder than explaining the same thing to Gina. Maybe it was the fact that Gina could actually see all this stuff. Paul was currently sitting on their kitchen table, staring into space, his mouth partly opened. Will leaned over to Nico.

"I think I broke him", he whispered.

"Could be", Nico responded. "I'm hungry. Time for dinner. What time is it, anyway?"

"Half past twelve. What he is doing outside at time is beyond me.", Will told him.

"And who watches the news in the middle of the night?", Nico said. "Gina should be safe for the moment"

"Actually, I let you sleep for another hour or two. The news you saw where the ones at nine", Will admitted.

"Why?"

"Because you needed it."

"Er...guys...how does anything you just told me has to do with the mall?", Paul piped up.

"Everything", Will said. "You see, these 'gang-members' we supposedly killed were monsters. Hellhounds to be exact. So, we actually defended ourselves from the monsters."

Paul blinked. "What?"

"Hellhounds. Big black dogs with red eyes. Kinda want to kill you all the time?", Will explained, waving his arms around to show the size of said monsters.

"I've got a picture", Nico interrupted.

He turned and went back into their room, pulling out a book that was supposed to be a photo album. Nico had gotten it for his latest birthday, with pictures of his friends in it and space for some new ones. Hazel and Jason had taken it upon themselves to fill it with more photos and notes and everything else they could find. Nico liked the book a lot, even if he would never admit that to Jason, so he dragged it around with him whenever he left Camp. He even had put some own photos in it, not that anybody knew that.

Will was staring at him with a raised eyebrow when he showed back up in the kitchen. Paul was looking at them dubiously.

"I'm serious. I have a picture of Mrs. O'Leary in here. She's a hellhound. The only friendly one on the planet", Nico said.

He laid the album on the table and started flipping through the pages, until he found the right one.

"Is that a panda pillow-pet?", asked Paul and pointed at a picture of Percy holding said panda pillow-pet in his hand and smiling smugly.

"Yeah, don't ask. I meant that one", Nico said and tapped on the picture of Mrs. O'Leary chewing on a bone.

"That doesn't look so big", Paul muttered.

Nico flipped the page, where another photo of Percy's hellhound was. This time he was standing next to her.

"Okay I take that back. That dog is freaking huge. And mean looking"

Will snickered in the background.

"What's so funny?", Nico asked him.

"Nothing", Will said.

"No, seriously, what's so funny?", Nico asked again.

Instead of answering, Will just whistled innocently and looked away. Gods, that boy was so annoying.

"Do you have more photos of that stuff you just told me about? I don't think I believe you completely", Paul told them.

"You should", came a new voice.

The three boys whirled around to find Akemi standing in the doorway.

"Again? Can you maybe knock next time?", Nico asked annoyed.

"You never hear me knock", Akemi said defiantly. "And as I said, Paul, you should believe them"

"Why?", Paul asked.

"Because I'm part of this world, too.", Akemi said.

"Well, I need proof, that this 'world' exists!", Paul yelled.

"Dammit, kids! Stop yelling or I'll call the cops on you! It's the middle of the night for gods sake!", someone shouted down the hall.

Akemi closed the door. "He's right, it's the middle of the night. And we have a lot of problems"

"You don't have any problems", Will corrected. "Take Paul and bring him home, we will go and search for Gina. And Jonathan. We don't need him rotting us out"

"No, Will, I'll not do it!", Akemi said. "I came here to help you because I know it had something to do with monsters, meaning Gina is innocent. And she kinda grew on me the last few days."

She looked over at Paul. "You better start believing now"

Paul gulped. Nico was impressed by Akemi. Not many people managed that.

The girl looked at Nico. "What happened to you?"

Nico remembered the scratches on his arms and face and his torn up shirt.

"I fell through a shop window", he explained.

"In the mall?", Paul asked.

Nico nodded.

"So, you killed these hellhounds?", Paul asked and pointed towards the photo.

Nico nodded again.

"Well, more like Nico killed the hellhounds", Will muttered.

"You killed two", Nico said.

"Yeah, but one of them was already half dead"

"That's still a kill", Paul pointed out.

"That rhymes!", Will yelled, then blushed. "Sorry, my dad's the god of poetry, so..."

Akemi perked up.

"Apollo? That's my great-granddad!", she exclaimed, looking exited.

"What?", Paul asked in surprise.

"Akemi, do you know a Jonathan? Legacy of Mercury?", Nico asked, ignoring Paul.

"Yeah. Jonathan Moore. Why?"

"He was in the mall, too.", Will explained.

"Acted like a complete idiot and was constantly insulting our fighting style, but couldn't do shit himself. Gina knocked him out with a pan", Nico continued.

Akemi sighed. "That sounds like him. He thinks he's such an awesome person just because he's a first generation legacy."

"Why are there so many of you in Chicago?", Will asked.

"Well, it was always a more or less monster-free environment, so some legacies who wanted jobs in the mortal world settled down here. There are about seven or eight families in this city. During the two wars it got worse with the monsters, but settled down again afterwards", Akemi explained, while sitting down at the table.

"You still need more proof?", Will asked Paul, taking the seat opposite him.

"Would make you seem less crazy"

Will nodded and grabbed Nico's photo album.

"Oh, no! You are not snooping around in that", the son of Hades exclaimed and pulled it back towards him. He pressed it against his chest defensively and glared at Will.

"Why, is it a secret diary?", Akemi teased him.

"No", Nico growled angrily.

The light flickered.

"I was just going to get it out of the way", Will said.

"I can do that myself", Nico muttered and stomped off towards the bedroom.

"What's up with him?", Akemi asked concerned.

"Nothing", Will told her.

Nico returned to the table and sat down, crossing his arms. Will pulled out his bow and laid it on the table. Paul squeaked and leaned away from it.

"Is it loaded? Please say it isn't loaded.", he muttered.

"What are you seeing?", Will asked him.

"A freaking huge gun", Paul said, eyeing the bow warily.

"So he can't see through the Mist?", Akemi asked.

"Nope", Will responded, turning his bow back into his armband.

"How do we proof it to him then?"

"Monsieur Nico, there is an IM coming in for you", Jules-Albert piped up from the kitchen sink.

"Thanks, Jules-Albert! How long will you be stuck as a skull again?", Nico said.

"I don't know. So long, until Cupid isn't mad at you anymore", the skull said.

Paul looked freaked out. "Is that a talking skull?"

"Yeah. We should give him a hat or a scarf or something", Will said. "He looks cold"

"He's a skull, Will. They can't get cold", Nico muttered. "Anyway, there's a IM!"

Nico looked around. The IM was shimmering in front of the TV, with Clovis's sleeping face inside.

"Clovis! Wake up!", Nico yelled.

Clovis startled awake and looked around confused.

"Zoom please", he spoke to the IM.

The rainbow sauntered forward, until it was right in front of the table.

"Hi Nico, Will! Who are you?", he greeted them all and then looked at Akemi and Paul.

"That's not important right now, anything new?", Will asked and leaned forward.

"Wait, you told _Clovis_ to watch out for updates?", Nico asked.

"Pollux did the looking out, I was sleeping", Clovis explained.

"Of course you were", Nico said quiet enough for no-one but Will, who was next to him, to hear it.

"Anyway, Pollux said that … zzz", Clovis yawned and fell out of view. Slight snoring could be heard.

"Clovis! Dammit!"

"Is he always like that?", Akemi asked confused.

Paul was still staring at the IM with a dumbfounded expression.

"Sadly yes", Will told her.

Pollux appeared in the IM now.

"Sorry about that.", he nodded to were Clovis was snoring. "We had a long day. Apparently, your friend Gina isn't home. The police showed up at her apartment, but didn't find anything. No sign for being crazy and stuff like that."

"So they haven't found her yet?", Akemi asked.

Pollux frowned at her but shook his head.

"That's good, right? We can still find her before the police does", she looked hopeful.

"I guess. I'm going to bed now, so don't call me or anything", Pollux said and waved through the IM.

The four teenagers were left in silence.

Nico thought about their current situation. It wasn't good, to say the least. The most serious problem was to find Gina and get her somewhere safe. Everybody knew that Chicago wasn't a city where you wanted to wander around in at night. They also had to find Jonathan and stop him from talking.

"Akemi, could you make sure Jonathan doesn't talk?", Nico asked.

Akemi looked up from the table and nodded. "I guess I should head home and tell my parents about this. They can pass the message to the other families and if someone sees her, they can take her to you."

"Good. Paul, you go home now, too. It's a lot to take in and you sleep over it. See you tomorrow in school", Will said.

"After everything that happened tonight, you still want to go to school tomorrow?", Paul asked.

"It would be suspicious if we didn't. We might as well go straight to the police", the son of Apollo explained.

"Okay then, see you tomorrow" Akemi stood up and pulled Paul to the door. Will followed them and wished them a good night. It was ironic, nobody of them would have a good night today and all of them knew it.

* * *

"I don't want to go to school", Will whined and hid under the blankets.

"But we have to", Nico replied. "Now get up!"

He pushed against Will and got him to roll out of the bed.

"You're such a meanie", Will said.

"And you're such a little baby"

Will scowled at Nico and threw his pillow at him. Nico ducked and it hit the wand. Will climbed back on the mattress and flopped down again.

"Can't we sleep for another hour and then shadow-travel?"

Nico looked at him in disbelief. "You want to shadow-travel? Are you sick?" He leaned over and placed a hand on Will's forehead. "Apparently not...who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?"

Will grinned and caught Nico's hand, pulling the shorter boy down to him.

"He's rotting away in the sewers", he whispered.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Nope, you are still the same dork as before."

He tried to get up again, but Will was stronger. He pulled Nico down, so that he was laying next to the son of Apollo.

"But I'm your dork", Will said happily, burying his face in Nico's dark curls.

"Emphasis on 'dork'", the smaller boy muttered. "If we are too late and shipped off to the police it's your fault"

"I can live with that", Will said sleepily and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"Your hair is wet", he mumbled.

"I just showered", Nico told him.

"Really? How early did you get up?"

"I never went to sleep"

Will lifted his head and glared at Nico. "You were awake the whole night? That's not good for your health"

Nico started grinning at this. "There you are! Not rotting in the sewers after all"

Will huffed and pouted again. "I'm not talking about health all the time"

"I never said that...it's just that you wanted to beat up someone yesterday and now shadow-travel. That was strange coming from you, it's more a thing I would do."

"That-"

"Rhymes, I know, shut up"

"Am I allowed to say that you're acting a bit like me at the moment?"

"No"

"You are getting up early, trying to get me to go to school and you're concerned for Gina. That's a lot of things I normally do", Will said.

"What can I say, you're a bad influence"

Will chuckled, making his chest vibrate.

"Gods, we're so cheesy", Nico complained. "Jason would have a field day if he knew"

"What's up with Jason, anyway?", Will asked.

"Nothing except the sky", Nico replied.

Will burst out laughing.

"That wasn't that funny", Nico said.

"No it wasn't. Back to the question", Will said.

"I don't know. He's...weird. He's more excited over me dating you, than me. We are his freaking OTP. I sometimes wonder if he isn't the child of Aphrodite in his relationship.", Nico said. "So, I'm glad he isn't here right now"

Will nodded. "No-one is here but us and that's weird. I'm used to being around people 24/7 and now it's just you"

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not used to sharing my room. Or staying in one place for so long"

"Which sucks"

"Huh?"

"It sucks that you are never around for more than five days on end. You sometimes disappear for a whole week and then I miss you", Will complained.

Nico stiffened for a few seconds.

"What?", Will asked.

"You miss me?", Nico asked and turned to look at Will.

"Yeah, you don't miss me?", he looked a bit hurt.

"No, I do, but I never thought you would actually miss me when I'm not around", Nico admitted and looked away from Will again.

"Of course I would, Sunshine", Will said. He planted a kiss on Nico's lips.

"Stop calling me that", the son of Hades grumbled.

"Never", Will laughed and leaned forwards again. Nico met him halfway, closing his eyes as their lips met again. Nico pushed Will backwards, until he was laying on his back with Nico practically straddling him.

"I thought you wanted to go to school?", Will asked when they needed some air.

"I thought you wanted to shadow-travel", Nico countered.

"True", Will muttered.

He pulled his boyfriend down again, their lips meeting in another kiss.


	23. Cole likes to poke

**Chapter 23**

School was strange that day.

Reporters were swarming the front door, some attention seekers practically throwing themselves towards them. A girl was being interviewed by a news reporter next to them. She looked uncomfortable and kept throwing glances at the camera that was being shoved in her face. Hannah was standing next to the gate, styled up too much and kept posing whenever a camera pointed into her general direction.

"It's sad how deep some people can sink", Akemi said, shaking her head.

Instead of meeting inside, they were sitting on a bench, observing the students and reporters. Paul nodded and rested his chin on his hands which were propped up on his knees. Will was glancing over at Betty, who was sitting next to them, staring off into space. Nico frowned at a reporter who was coming towards them.

"Hello!", he said cheerfully.

The five teenager glared at him. The reporter gulped.

"Err...your classmate over there", he motioned towards Brad. "Mentioned that you were friends with one of the main suspects of yesterdays attack in the mall."

Cue glaring at Brad, who whimpered and hurried off.

"What's it to you?", Akemi asked.

"I wondered whether I could interview you. Maybe?", the reporter sounded unsure.

"Why?", Betty snapped. The first thing she said today.

"Because I want to go to Europe", the reporter said.

This surprised Nico. "What?"

"I want to write about the Champions League Final next Saturday. It's soccer, so you probably don't know it, but it would be a dream come true. My boss said, I can only go if I get him a statement from people who actually know the main suspect, which are you. So please, tell me anything I just want to go to Europe", the man was nearly begging them now.

The five students shared a glance and then shrugged.

"Well, Gina was a nice and kind girl?", Akemi said.

Betty nodded. "I don't believe she did it. How did the police even get that idea?"

"They found her bag in the mall with the ID in it. The witnesses said that she was the female part of the attackers.", the reporter explained. "I know it isn't much, but it gives people peace if there is a suspect"

"Okay, you have your statement. Have fun in Europe", Will said and waved.

"Wait, that's not enough. I need it on camera", the reporter admitted.

"What?"

"Forget it!"

"No soccer for you, man"

The reporter let his shoulders hang down and nodded miserably. "Okay. Maybe next year" He started to trot off.

"Poor guy.", Paul said.

"Yeah", Betty mumbled.

"Ugh...FINE!", Will yelled.

The reporter perked up. "Really?"

"If you must"

"Yes!", the reporter started dancing around and singing 'I'm going to Europe'.

"Well, we have school in a few minutes so hurry up", Akemi said.

The reporter nodded enthusiastically and pointed his camera at them. Everyone looked at Akemi, telling her silently to do the talking.

"Gina was a nice and kind girl", Akemi repeated her earlier statement.

The others nodded. Nico felt extremely weird right now.

"Couldn't harm a fly", Betty butted in.

"She liked...chocolate pudding?", Paul said.

"And ice cream", Nico said.

"And cats...she was obsessed with cats", Will told the reporter, who nodded and shut off his camera.

"Thanks a lot. I'll think of you in the stadium" He sauntered out the front gate, nearly losing his camera on the way.

"Half the stuff you told him wasn't even true", Betty said.

The others shrugged.

"Makes her seem less suspicious", Paul said.

"Maybe"

The gong sounded, reminding the students that they had lessons to attend. Walking to the front door was harder than they thought. Apparently some of the other students had told the reporters that they were Gina's friends. Nico saw Hannah now in front of a camera, talking to a reporter.

"Spacey was always a little violent. Just Wednesday she slapped me and pushed me into the pool without any reason. I just told how nice she looked in her bikin and she went mad", Hannah acted confused.

Nico wondered what was wrong with the girl.

The reporters kept bugging them until they disappeared through the door. A security guy was holding them outside.

"Let's not go out there before school ends", Akemi suggested.

"Agreed"

"Are you okay, Betty?", Will asked concerned.

The girl was staring at the floor and was walking quietly next to the others.

"Not really. I learned an hour ago that my best friend supposedly murdered four men in a mall. That she apparently was a member of a violent youth gang and had mental problems. I want to believe that she is innocent, but there is some proof that she was involved into it. I know Gina went to a mall with you yesterday and that is a really bad coincidence", Betty told them.

Will laid an arm around her shoulder and rubbed it comfortingly. "Gina is innocent. We just have to find her"

Betty nodded. "Yeah, everybody knows what's out there", she motioned towards the door.

They had reached a classroom.

"See you later", Akemi said.

She took Betty's hand and pulled her into the room. Paul waved to the two other boys and disappeared down the hall.

Will sighed. "This is going to be a long day"

* * *

Nico met Cole Lampman, or Creepy, again in English. He winked at Nico and sat down next to him. Nico wanted to punch him, but the teacher was already there. So he only send him a death glare. Creepy looked away.

Akemi was in her usual spot in front of Nico. She leaned backwards and whispered. "Ready for the test?"

"Test?", Nico asked.

Akemi nodded. "I told you about it on Monday, remember?"

"No"

In that moment Mr. Ironfence laid a worksheet on Nico's table. Nico looked at it and found that he didn't know the answer to even one question.

"Akemi", he whispered.

The Japanese girl turned around.

"Need help?", she teased.

"Maybe, a bit", he admitted.

"I could help you", Creepy suggested.

Nico glared at him.

"How about no", he hissed.

"So, you're playing hard to get?", Creepy laughed.

Akemi gagged and Nico send him a disbelieving look. "Shut the fuck up or I make you"

"Aww...I know you want it", Creepy said and wiggled his eyebrows in what should be a suggestive way.

"I'm pretty sure I don't", Nico replied.

"Silence now, concentrate on your tests!", Mr. Ironfence called.

Nico looked down again. _Who founded Finch's Landing?_

Nico picked up his pen and started writing an answer. _The same guy who founded King's Landing: King Finch_.

He blamed it on Annabeth, she was the who introduced him to the books and TV show, that was currently running its first season.

_Where does Boo leave presents for Scout and Jem?_

What kind of questions were that? What about the people who didn't read the book, like Nico? Well, the test was to show whether they read the book... Anyway, Nico needed an answer.

_Under their pillows. He's a tooth fairy, but the people are afraid of him because of his name._

Yes, that sounded totally true, but Nico didn't care. Creepy was staring at him again, something that irritated the son of Hades to no end. It was his fault that the next answer consisted of swear words. This was sure to get him a fantastic grade. But it wasn't that big of a problem. After they found Gina, which was hopefully today, they would go back to Camp. Maybe then Gina could join the hunters or they waited until her name was cleared.

He focused on the last question. _For what does Uncle Jack reprimand Scout on Christmas Eve?_

Nico thought about that question for a while. He didn't know of anything you could be reprimanded for on Christmas. He didn't think his mother ever did that. Or maybe she did and Nico just didn't remember it. Before he could delve more into the matter of his non-existent childhood memories, Creepy poked him. Nico nearly jumped out of the chair at that. He decided to ignore him. That was what you were supposed to do, right? Ignore them.

_For poking other people._

He looked up at Mr. Ironfence. A girl gave her sheet to him and sat back down. The teacher was reading through the sheet, a red marker in his hand. For a moment, Nico wondered what Mr. Ironfence's reaction would be. Only one way to find out. He wrote his name on the top of the paper and stood up. Mr. Ironfence smiled at him kindly and took it. Nico hurried back to his seat. Mr. Ironfence was finished correcting the girl's test and focused on Nico's. The teacher's eyebrows nearly disappeared in his hair and he looked up, frowning at Nico. Nico blushed a bit and looked on his table. Creepy poked him.

It was silent for a while, until Mr. Ironfence snorted. Some other students looked up.

"Go back to work, kids", he said and some shrugged and went back to writing.

Akemi got up and handed in her test. Creepy reached over and poked Nico again. The son of Hades considered breaking his finger, but that wouldn't go over unnoticed. Instead he rested his chin on his hand and started playing with his pen.

"Mr. Di Angelo, could you please stay after class?", sounded Mr. Ironfence's voice.

Some students snickered. Nico looked up and nodded. The teacher was trying hard to stay serious. Nico started playing with his pen again and Creepy went back to poking him. Why was he doing that anyway?

Akemi turned around in her seat.

"What did you write at number 5?", she asked quietly.

"What was number 5?"

"The thing with the presents"

"Something with tooth fairies", Nico shrugged.

Akemi looked dumbfounded.

"Tooth Fairies?", she yelled. Someone snickered.

"You believe in tooth fairies?", asked a girl.

"Yes, they come at night and poke out your eyes!", Akemi said and imitated poking someone.

The girl looked freaked out and turned away.

"Silence!", Mr. Ironfence called.

"Werewolves eating hearts and tooth fairies poking out eyes...what kind of TV do you watch?", Nico asked.

"The tooth fairy thing is made up", Akemi said. "As is your answer. Are all of them like this?"

"Pretty much." Nico yawned. Gods, he was tired.

"The werewolf thing is too, by the way", Nico said. "Werewolves don't try to eat your heart, they try to bite you and turn you into one of them."

"You sure?", Akemi asked challenging.

"Yeah. At least the ones I met. One of them tried to rip my throat out, only scratched my arm, though.", Nico said.

Akemi nodded slowly. "I forgot that you fought in a war"

"Two actually, but that isn't really important right now"

Creepy poked him again.

"Why is he poking me?", he asked Akemi.

Akemi shrugged. "Who knows. That guy is strange"

The gong sounded, interrupting the two of them. The students started to trickle out, leaving Nico alone with Mr. Ironfence. Akemi gave him a encouraging smile, while Creepy smiled creepily. That wasn't encouraging at all. Nico couldn't wait for Will to punch that guy.

"Soo...I take that you didn't read the book", Mr. Ironfence said, now really serious.

"You could say that"

"You realize that this test is going to be part of your grade at the end of the year?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that", Nico replied. He didn't know he could talk like that. Also, he didn't care about the grade. They would be gone in the next few days.

"I can't give you detention for the test, but I can give you detention for not doing your homework.", Mr. Ironfence said. Nico nodded. "And I wish to speak to you about correct behavior during class. I can't have you talking with other students and not doing your work"

"Okay", Nico said.

He started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. Couldn't Mr. Ironfence hurry up a bit? He had better things to do. A knock sounded at the door.

"Yes?", Mr. Ironfence called.

The door opened a bit and Will poked his head in. "Uh hello, Mr. Whatever, I was searching for- there you are!", Will exclaimed.

Mr. Ironfence looked at Nico. "You know him?"

Nico nodded and started fiddling with his hands again.

"Everything alright?", Will asked.

"Yeah, see you in chemistry, bye Will!", Nico said and waved at Will to go.

Will looked suspicious, but left the room again.

Mr. Ironfence was looking at Nico again. "Sometimes bad behavior are signs of problems at home or in school. Is anything bothering you?"

 _I'm accused of being a terrorist and a friend of mine is on the run from the police. Also that guy sitting next to me? Yeah, he kinda sexually assaulted me yesterday. Other than that, I'm fine._ Mr. Ironfence probably wouldn't react well to that. But maybe telling him part of it might help. Nico took a deep breath.

"That one guy kissed me, yesterday. And I didn't really like that"

Mr. Ironfence looked shocked. "Who did? That boy right now?"

"No, that's Will. His name is Cole Lampman or something", Nico explained. Will kissed him too, but he actually liked that.

"That is sexual assault, you know that, right?", Mr. Ironfence said. He leaned forwards on his elbows and tried for a comforting look. "You can come talk to me whenever you want"

Nico nodded. The teacher wrote something down on a sheet of paper.

"I'm not the school councilor, but maybe talking now would help you"

Nico seriously doubted that. He just wanted to go to Chemistry now. It was a mistake to tell Mr. Ironfence.

"How did you react to that?", the teacher asked.

"I punched him in the face?"

Mr. Ironfence raised an eyebrow. "That's not exactly the best way to react to that"

"Well it's the best way for me", Nico muttered.

Mr. Ironfence didn't seem to hear. "Have you told anyone. That helps in such a situation"

"Umm...I told Will?", Nico replied.

"That's the boy who was here right now?" Nico nodded. "And how did he react?"

"Said something about beating him up"

Mr. Ironfence sighed. He clearly thought they were hopeless. "Okay, if there are any more problems, tell me. And don't beat him up."

Nico nodded.

"Are we done here?", Nico asked.

Mr. Ironfence smiled slightly and pulled out Nico's test. A big 'F' was written in the corner. Nico took it and slipped out the door.

Outside a group of students were waiting, shooting Nico glares for letting them stand outside. Will was leaning against the wall behind them.

"What about 'see you in chemistry' don't you understand?", Nico asked him.

He walked away from the room and towards the science building. Will kicked off the wall and followed him.

"I was curious. What were you talking about?"

Nico sighed.

"First about my awesome test results", Nico waved with the paper. "Then about that kid from yesterday, who was constantly poking me in class. He's annoying"

"Another reason to beat him up", Will decided. "Do you have plans for lunch?"

"Except Eating? Nothing, why?", Nico asked.

"There is an Italian take-away around the corner. We could get some and meet the others in the library", Will said.

Nico chuckled. "Sounds like a plan"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The questions in the test are not mine, they belong to sparknotes.


	24. Akemi owns a kindergarten

**Chapter 24**

The Italian take-away wasn't half as good as the restaurant on Tuesday, but it wasn't really bad.

Paul and Akemi were discussing something, a map of the part of Chicago they lived in between them. Nico had finished his food a few minutes ago and was now half asleep, head resting on the table. Will was fiddling with the lamp standing on the table, making the light shine brighter and lesser. It was annoying.

Nico willed a shadow to wrap itself around the light bulb, effectively shutting out any light and making their table go dark.

"Nico!", Will sounded annoyed. The light flared up again, driving the shadows away.

"Will!", Nico mimicked the son of Apollo and shut the light out again.

Akemi and Paul turned towards them.

The light flared up.

"What is going on?", Paul asked.

The light went out.

"Are you fighting over a lamp?", Akemi asked.

The light went on.

"Nico makes it dark all the time", Will whined.

"Will makes it bright all the time!", Nico snapped back.

"Well, light is better than darkness!", Will yelled.

"No it's not!", Nico yelled back.

The light bulb between them exploded.

"Guys-", Paul said but couldn't finish his sentence.

"That's your fault!", Will said, motioning to the lamp.

"My fault? How is that my fault?", Nico asked.

"Your shadows crushed it!"

"Your light made it explode!"

Another light bulb burst.

"Boys, get your powers under control!", Akemi yelled at them.

Paul next to her looked frightened.

Nico groaned and slammed his head on the table.

"Dammit, we are doing it again!"

"That's no reason to hurt yourself", Will said.

"Oh shut up, Solace"

"Are you done?", Akemi asked.

"Yes", Will said. He turned over towards Akemi. "Have you got anything?"

"While you two played kindergarten, we actually thought about possible hide-outs", Akemi said.

"I feel like a cop ready to bust a dealer's cave", Paul said.

He kicked back in his chair and laid the feet on the table, crossing his arms behind his head.

"We are not the cops. More the dealers trying to find another dealer's cave to join business", Will responded.

"Am I the only responsible adult person in this room?", Akemi asked. "You are all supposed to be a year older than me!"

"More like sixty, but carry on", Nico interrupted.

Akemi looked confused for second before looking away in a 'I don't even want to know'-matter.

"This is serious, okay? A life is on the line, possibly four, so get a grip!", Akemi snapped at Will and Paul.

Paul immediately took his feet off the table and got his chair in the right position.

"I thought that it would be possible for her to be in this area", she circled a couple of streets in red. "There are a lot of small alleys Gina could have slept in. Only problem, the police knows that too, so we have to find her fast."

"We could send an IM", Will suggested.

"That only works when we know the location. It would be way easier if she was a demigod. We could just track her then", Nico said.

"How would you track her?", Akemi asked. "Only monsters can do that."

"Percy has a hellhound!", Will yelled and sat up more straight. "She knows Rachel's scent, maybe Gina's isn't so different. Clear-sighted mortals who know about the world of the gods do have a slightly different scent. At least that's what Grover told me"

Nico gaped at Will. "When did you think about that?"

"Just now. See, I am smart!", Will stated proudly.

"Never doubted you, man", Paul said and reached over to pat Will's shoulder. "Okay, when you thought potions and chemistry were the same I maybe thought you weren't all that bright, but-"

"Of course I'm bright, I'm the son of the sun god", Will interrupted.

Paul blinked, then looked at Nico.

"Are you the son of the moon god then? Because you can make it dark", he asked.

Will and Akemi started laughing, Paul looked a bit miffed about that.

"It's a moon goddess and she's an eternal virgin, so no.", Nico explained.

Paul glared at the two laughing teens and muttered: "Sorry that I didn't know that"

Will leaned forward and patted Paul on the head.

"There is nothing to be sorry for", he said and grinned. "So we gonna call Jackson, or what?"

* * *

"Nico!", Percy exclaimed upon seeing the IM.

He was currently sitting next to the lake at Camp Half-Blood, only wearing his swim trunks. Not that Nico noticed.

"Can we borrow Mrs. O'Leary?", Nico asked.

"No 'hello, Percy, how have you been'?", Percy pouted.

"Hello, Percy, how have you been?", Will leaned over, so that he could see Percy, too.

"Will!", Percy said and opened his arms as if to hug him. "Great to see you!"

"Percy, stop yelling!", a voice chided. Annabeth came into view and greeted the two other demigods.

"Did you decide to head home, too?", she asked.

"Yes, but first we need Mrs. O'Leary. Just to track some friend", Will replied.

Percy shrugged and said: "Sure. I will send her over"

He jogged away.

"Percy, put a shirt on!", Annabeth yelled after him.

"Why? Is it bothering you?", Percy teased but came running back. He flashed Will and Nico a grin, pulled a shirt over his head and jogged off again.

Annabeth smiled after him before turing back to the IM.

"You are coming tomorrow then?", she asked.

Nico nodded.

The door to the shower room opened and someone entered.

"Guys, we have to go to lessons now!", Akemi's voice was lowered.

Will walked out of the shower stall and they lapsed into a silent conversation. Nico couldn't make out what they were saying. He turned back to Annabeth who was currently looking at something else, a small frown on her face.

"Everything alright?", Nico asked.

Before the daughter of Athena had time to answer, another blonde head appeared in the IM.

"Hey, Nico!", Jason said, waving at him.

"Jason", Annabeth said. "We were having a conversation going on"

Jason nodded at her but turned back to the boy in Chicago. "Well, its important."

"Couldn't you have waited until they were finished?", another voice called.

"It's alright, Piper", Nico said. "What's so important?"

The Native American girl huffed, but kept silent. Instead she threw Jason a couple of disapproving glares. Annabeth looked slightly annoyed too.

"A satyr called, there is a young demigod near Chicago. Could you pick her up?", Jason told them.

"Why?", Nico groaned. He didn't need another thing on his seemingly endless to-do-list. "Can't the satyr pick her up?"

"Nope, sorry. That was the whole idea behind the safe houses, helping demigods in need out and getting them safely to Camp. Besides, its not like you guys have anything better to do", Jason said.

Nico stared at him angrily. Nothing better to do? What did Jason think they were doing? Sitting around and all day staring into space?

The door to the shower stall opened and Will shoved Akemi inside before locking it again.

"EW!", the girl exclaimed when the running water hit her. "Could you maybe turn the water off?"

"We are using that to create a rainbow", Will muttered and motioned to the IM. Jason was staring at her in shock.

"Who is she?", he asked.

"Akemi, legacy of Apollo.", Will introduced her to the three others. "That's Annabeth, daughter of Athena, Piper, daughter of Aphrodite and Jason, son of Jupiter"

Akemi nodded at them in greeting, the three repeating the gesture.

"What got you so angry?", Will asked Nico now, who was still glaring at Jason.

"Nothing much. We just have to pick up some demigod from around here because we have nothing better to do!", Nico said, his tone going from nonchalant to angry.

Jason gulped, while Akemi took a step backwards, slamming into the wall. Will opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. Apparently he decided to not risk Nico's anger being directed at him.

The gong sounded, startling all six of them.

"I guess we will see you tomorrow", Will said and looked at Akemi uncertainly.

She shrugged.

"Yeah...see you", Jason said awkwardly. He was looking at Nico warily. The son of Hades was still glaring at him.

"You have to go to lessons, I believe. Behave and don't destroy anything. A mall is enough for a week.", Annabeth said finally and waved through the IM.

"They seem nice enough", Akemi said after a moment of silence.

"They are", Will replied. "Let's get going"

* * *

PE was not on their schedule today. Okay, technically it was, but neither Will nor Nico attended. None of the other students did either. Coach Feroll was fuming out on the football field and had started yelling at and kicking practice dummies. The media had been kicked off school grounds and had moved to the other side of the gate. Most kids were leaving through the woods, willingly taking a longer route just to not get questioned by them. Others, like Hannah, were being interviewed and seemed to enjoy it. Inside the school a couple of police officers were talking with the headmaster.

When Nico saw them in the hallway, he had panicked for a second. Then he had pulled Will into the nearest room, which was an unoccupied classroom, and closed the door. Will was wide eyed and stared at the door blankly.

"Do they know?", he asked with worry latched in his voice.

"Hopefully not", Nico replied. "But whatever they are doing here, it's not good."

Will didn't respond, but resumed his staring.

"Will!", Nico snapped at him, startling the taller boy.

The son of Apollo blinked and looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry, I was lost in thought"

A howl sounded outside. A sound Nico recognized instantly.

"Mrs. O'Leary!", he said.

"What?", Will asked confused.

"Mrs. O'Leary is here", Nico explained before running over to one of the windows.

He opened it and leaned out, searching for the friendly hellhound. Mrs. O'Leary was out at the forest, sniffing a small tree and then happily biting into it. She pulled it out and chewed on it a bit.

"Let's go", he told Will and climbed on the windowsill.

"Hold on! You want to jump out? We are on the first floor!", Will exclaimed.

"Yeah. It's just three meters, Will. And I'm not going to jump all the way", Nico said.

"'Just'?! Do you know that you can break both your legs if you land wrong? Not to mention-"

Nico clamped a hand over Will's mouth, shutting him up.

"Stop yelling!", he hissed, sending a worried glance towards the door.

Will thankfully got the hint and didn't say anything anymore. Not that he could.

Nico turned around and climbed out of the window. It was hard to find a hold for his feet, so he just dangled from the windowsill. Will looked worriedly down on him. When he couldn't go any farther, he let go and dropped on the floor.

"Ouch", he muttered and looked at his right hand. He had gotten cut when he let go of the sill.

Suddenly Will dropped down next to him, staggering a bit. Nico looked at him surprised.

"Wait...you make a huge fuss when I want to jump out of the window but you do it yourself without even hesitating?"

Will scratched his neck in embarrassment.

"I heel faster?", he said.

Nico had a suspicion what it might be Will was doing. He banned that thought from his head. Of course he wouldn't mean that.

A happy bark interrupted them and slimy tree landed between them. Nico looked from the tree to Mrs. O'Leary, who was wagging her tail. Nico reached out and patted her snout.

"Hey there girl!"

Mrs. O'Leary barked again and started chasing her tail.

"We should get her into the woods. Who knows who might see her", Will suggested.

Nico nodded and followed him across the lawn. Turning back around he whistled, getting Mrs. O'Leary's attention off her tail.

"Come on, Mrs. O'Leary!", he called and watched as the hellhound came bouncing towards them.

She stopped next to Will and started sniffing his legs. The son of Apollo looked uncomfortable at that.

"She is not going to hurt you", Nico reassured him.

Will didn't look convinced. He picked up a faster pace, but Mrs. O'Leary easily followed him. Again, Will picked up speed, but Mrs. O'Leary kept pace. It went on like this for a while. Will went faster, the hellhound did too. Will stopped, the hellhound did too. In the end Will was running as fast as he could, the hellhound at his heels, barking happily. She probably thought it was a game. The two of them disappeared in the forest, leaving Nico alone on the lawn. Nico didn't know why Will was so terrified of Mrs. O'Leary. He suggested to get her to help them, after all. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't Nico's right to force Will to tell him. He entered the woods nearly two minutes after them, which was the reason he couldn't find them. He stepped over a branch and trudged deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes he found a footprint that could only belong to Percy's hellhound. At least he was going in the right direction. Here and there other footprints could be found and Nico followed the trail until he reached the edge of the forest. Behind the last trees was a street bustling with people. Nico wondered again why there was a forest in the middle of a metropolis like this. Was it some kind of park? Or an empty space that wasn't needed for anything else? Will and Mrs. O'Leary where a bit to the left of him. The son of Apollo was frozen like a Popsicle while the hellhound had her head resting on his, looking smug. Or as smug as a giant black dog could look.

"Nico!", Will hissed.

Nico focused back on his boyfriend.

"Tell her to leave me alone", he pleaded. "Please"

"Mrs. O'Leary, leave Will alone", Nico said.

The dog looked saddened, but lifted her head and retreated a few steps. Will sighed in relief and swiftly went to stand behind Nico.

"What are we doing now?", he asked.

"We have to wait for Akemi first. She wants to help us find Gina", Nico told him.

Mrs. O'Leary was back to chewing on trees. Will sighed again and sat down, leaning against one of the trees. Nico plopped down next to him, watching the hellhound.

He wondered if this whole thing would work with them around. Could Mrs. O'Leary sniff out a _mortal_ while being in the presence of two demigods and a legacy? And what if they were too late? What if the police already found Gina, or worse something happened to her? It would be Nico's fault. He told her about the world of the gods, he was the one with the powerful aura, he couldn't stop using his powers therefore attracting all the monsters and he told Gina to leave her bag behind, which resulted into the police identifying her. Why did she got the trouble for something Nico did? That was just unfair.

A slight poke against his right hand jerked him out of his thoughts. Nico looked down to see Will inspecting the cut on his hand.

"I have to clean it before it gets infected", Will said, more to himself than to Nico.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a bottle of water which he promptly emptied over Nico's hand. Nico hissed when the water made contact with the cut.

"Sorry", Will mumbled. He now pulled out a canteen of nectar and dribbled a few drops on it.

"Will, I don't think its that bad", Nico told him.

The son of Apollo glared at him.

"It's going to be infected if I don't clean it now. Do you want that?", he snapped.

Nico quickly shook his head.

"Thought so. Now let me do my work"

Will went back to cleaning the wound and finally wrapped a bandage around his hand. That was probably too much but Nico wasn't going to argue with his boyfriend. He was the healer after all.

Once Will was finished, Nico pulled his hand towards him and went back to watching Mrs. O'Leary.

"There you guys are!", a voice exclaimed.

Nico turned his head and found Akemi bursting out between the trees. She stopped short when she saw Mrs. O'Leary and gulped.

"Is that the friendly one?", she asked.

The hellhound responded with a "Wuff!" and came over to sniff her legs too. Akemi looked as uncomfortable as Will did earlier.

"She is not going to hurt you", Nico repeated himself.

Akemi nodded slowly as if she didn't believe him completely.

"Can we go now?", Will asked, getting up.

Nico shrugged and looked at Akemi, who was still being greeted by the hellhound.

"I guess.", she said. Cautiously she opened her bag and pulled out a tattered red shirt. "That's Gina's. I figured you needed her scent to track her."

Nico thanked her and then guided Mrs. O'Leary away from the other two.

"Can you find her?", he asked the hellhound and held out the shirt.

Mrs. O'Leary buried her nose in it and barked.

"Good girl", Nico said and patted her snout.

Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air for a couple of seconds before turning her head left. She barked again.

"She found Gina.", Nico told Will and Akemi.

Will started smiling while Akemi balled her fist and yelled: "Yes!"

Mrs. O'Leary barked again, sounding more urgent.

"We have to go before she loses her again", Nico said.


	25. Mrs. O'Leary can't walk straight

**Chapter 25**

Following a hellhound through the streets of Chicago was harder than Nico had thought. Especially because said hellhound was currently weaving between the cars on the street, not walking on the sidewalk like Nico, Will and Akemi did. Sometimes Mrs. O'Leary would take an abrupt turn and that left the three to wonder where she had gone.

Akemi was grumbling something about 'big dogs from hell' and 'why doesn't she have a leash'. Will was trying not to laugh at her expense, but was failing miserably. This resulted in Akemi punching him and them getting in an argument. By the time they stopped shouting at each other, Mrs. O'Leary was long gone.

"Great job!", Nico said to the two of them, who had the decency to look embarrassed.

Akemi was looking up and down the street they were on, but couldn't spot any gigantic dogs. Maybe because she was actually the same height as Nico and therefore not able to look over the other people's heads. This job was Will's, who was standing tip-toed, trying to find the hellhound.

"I can't find her", he announced after a while.

Nico groaned.

"Maybe you want to give it a try", Will suggested with a smirk. "I could lift you on my shoulders"

"Shut up, Solace!"

Will snickered. "Not my fault you're so tiny"

Nico glared at Will and stomped off towards another street. He hated it when people made fun of his size. Especially when Will did that. It made it even more embarrassing because he was his age and not three years older, like Jason or Reyna. Then he could explain it with the age difference, but with Will that wasn't possible.

He was startled from his thoughts, when somebody nearly ran him over. Nico glared after the business man, who just scrunched up his face in annoyance and kept talking into his phone.

Nico looked around the street he was on and just realized how crowded it was. Everywhere where business men and women, people who where carrying bags from designer shops and small families trying to not lose each other. In other words, it was loud, full and everything Nico despised. Looking around him, he noticed that neither Will nor Akemi where in sight, leaving him to deal with this alone. He sighed and started walking again. It was probably best to find a side street that was less crowded, like the one they were in before, even if that had been full of people too.

Suddenly a loud bark echoed down the street and Nico caught a glimpse of Mrs. O'Leary on the other side of the road, sniffing at the edge of a tall building. Then she started running down the street, coming Nico's way and racing past him. Instantly he turned around and went back the way he came from, pushing some unfortunate people out of the way. It was hard to cover any ground with people randomly standing in the way, others coming your way or pushing you to the side. He got slowed down too often and sometimes had to yell at the people in front of him to move. There was no feeling worse than being stuck in a large crowd while you try to be fast. It's like swimming in quicksand.

Luckily, Mrs. O'Leary rounded a corner, nearly causing an accident. The driver in the car leaned out and yelled at her. Nico was faced with a different problem. How was he going to get on the other side of the road? With all the people around him, it was a bad idea to shadow-travel. He didn't want to know how they would react to a teenage boy suddenly dissolving into shadows. On the other hand, they were all too busy with their own stuff to pay attention to him.

A red light in front of him solved his problem.

* * *

Mrs. O'Leary finally came to a stop in front of a dark alley, a mile away from his earlier position. Nico was ready to collapse on the floor at this point. The hellhound sometimes lost the track and ran into the completely opposite direction, just for her to turn around and race past him again. Other times she ran a full circle or took long ways just to get to a street right next to the one before. Once she even jumped over the river and left Nico to search for a bridge, before losing her four half an hour. Now it was nearing dark and Nico hadn't seen nor heard from Will in three hours. There was one point where maybe an IM was shimmering in front of him, but he didn't find out because somebody else walked through it.

"There you are, big girl", he muttered and patted Mrs. O'Leary on the head.

She wagged her tail, slamming it in the building which resulted in a crash inside and somebody yelling.

"Did you find Gina?", he asked and looked around the alley.

It was dark, but Nico, being the son of Hades was able to see enough. Nobody was there, though. There were some people in the neighboring houses, but they weren't Gina. Nico had spend enough time with her to recognize her life-signature. It could be that she was around here somewhere and the walls where messing with Nico's senses, which wasn't a comforting thought. But according to Mrs. O'Leary, Gina was truly in this area. At least Nico thought that was what her tail-wagging and the happy face meant.

"Good job, girl. You can go now, play with Ceberus or something"

The hellhound's eyes lit up at the mention of her friend and she bounded into the next shadows. Nico smiled after her before facing the alley again. Here goes nothing.

There was truly nothing of great importance in this alley, except a couple of trash cans and a rolled up rope. Nico first checked the trash. It could be after all, that Gina was dead and in there somewhere. He highly doubted it, though. First of all, he would have felt her die, secondly, Gina was capable of surviving out on the streets for one day and thirdly, monsters could only track living beings. What good would a dead demigod be to them?

Like he predicted, there was no sign of Gina Spacey. He wandered further into the alley and found a old and battered metal door at the end. That was all. Nico could not feel a living being behind it, so he figured it was an abandoned building. A perfect hide-out. The house was four stories tall and Nico could only feel life forces in a small radius, so maybe Gina was hiding on the upper floor. Nico shortly thought about contacting Will, but that wouldn't be necessary. He was perfectly able to protect himself and handle this situation.

Opening the door was surprisingly easy, not a good sign.

The door swung open slowly, revealing a old and empty room. The walls were only painted half in a dull brown color. A old wooden desk was toppled over, cobwebs all around it. A doorway lead to what used to be the living room. The green couch was cut open, the filling strewn all over the room. It was kinda creepy and if Gina truly was hiding here, she needed guts. Nico doubted even he could sleep peacefully in such an environment. Searching the ground floor led to his earlier diagnosis. No living being.

The stairs were creaking and Nico feared they would give out under him. Halfway between the first and second floor a big hole was in the middle of the stairs. A ripped piece of jeans was hanging on one of the cracked wooden boards. He carefully stepped over it and entered the second floor. Like the previous two, it was empty of any life. Left only the third and last floor. When he slowly pushed the door to one of the two apartments open, he picked up a familiar life-signature. Gina was here! He nearly ran towards the old bedroom, where a four poster bed stood. The door creaked loudly, when it was pushed open, emitting a scream from the person inside.

"Dammit, Gina, you can yell!", he exclaimed.

Gina was half hiding behind the bed and was staring at him wide-eyed. Looking back on it, he shouldn't have crept up to her like that.

"Nico?", she asked in utter disbelief and slowly climbed to her feet. "How did you find me?"

"We used a hellhound to track you down", he explained.

"Hellhound?", she shrieked and looked around wildly. "And who's 'we'"

"She's friendly and gone now", Nico said. "And 'we' is Akemi, Will and I. And Paul, to a certain extent"

She blinked a couple of times, before stepping forward and slapping him in the face. Nico flinched at the stinging feeling in his left cheek.

"Wait, not even an 'Ow'?", Gina muttered angrily and slapped him again. And a third time.

"The fuck, Gina?", Nico exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

He was rubbing his left cheek, which had started burning. No doubt was it bright red now.

"I wanted to slap you and say 'That's for me being on the run from the police', but you didn't even react. It's like slapping a freaking brick wall, because honestly, your cheekbones kinda hurt.", she whined.

Then she let her head fall forwards, resting against Nico's shoulder, and started to cry. Nico went stiff at the sudden contact. After a few seconds, he awkwardly patted her on the back.

"You're not really good with people, are you?", Gina asked, after she lifted her head again.

"Geez, how could you tell?", Nico rolled his eyes.

Before anyone could say anymore, Gina was suddenly pulled away and shoved behind the body of somebody else. Nico was slammed against the wall and then held there. He couldn't see who or what was holding them. Then he realized it must be something invisible. The next thing he noticed was the people in front of him. They all had broad shoulders and were on first glance male, other than that they were the most diverse bunch he had ever seen. He had never seen most of them before and was therefore a bit surprised why they seemed so angry at them. The one standing in front of a surprised Gina, however, was a familiar face.

"Andy?", he asked confused.

Andy scowled and something hit Nico in the head, everything turning black.

* * *

Coming back to consciousness after being knocked-out was never a good experience, but coming back while two people were yelling in the background, was horrible. The light was too bright and his head was hurting like Hephaestus was hammering around in it with his hammer. The yelling was only helping to increase his headache.

He groaned and shut his eyes tightly, trying to block everything out. The yelling stopped and someone came running towards him.

"Nico? Are you alive?", Gina asked.

Nico didn't response.

"Oh, please, don't be dead, that would break Will's heart and he looks like a kicked puppy, when he's sad."

Nico blinked and gave her a disbelieving look. Did she really just say that?

"It would be sad, too, because you would be dead, of course", she hastily said.

Then awkwardly looked away.

"What's going on?", Nico asked after a minute of silence he had used to get adjusted to the light.

He looked around and noticed, that he was laying on the bed from earlier. Most of the unknown men were gone, except for Andy, who was glaring at him from the other side of the room. He remembered something about him being a monster, but he was to tired to care.

"Justin knocked you out", Gina explained.

"What?", Nico asked. This didn't clear up anything and Nico hated not knowing what was going on around him.

"Justin, one of the storm spirits who live here. They found me last night, after someone", here she glared at Nico. "left me to go home while I was a murder suspect"

"In my defense, we didn't know about that then and you insisted to go home alone. Also, I'm sorry about what happened in the mall"

"Anyway, Andy said, they thought you were going to kidnap me or something. Then they realized you were a demigod and decided to kill you. I kept them from doing that, so, you're welcome." Gina helped Nico into a sitting position.

He noticed that behind the barricaded window it was dark. He looked from there over to Gina, who was now actually sporting a concerned look. He frowned.

"Why are you with some monsters?", he hissed.

"They aren't monsters, they helped me", Gina said.

"Doesn't mean they never killed anybody.", Nico said. "They hunt us demigods down, you know that? They are the reason we mostly don't live until adulthood."

Gina looked shocked at that. "But..Akemi..."

"Yeah, mostly. Some lucky people like Akemi's parents manage that.", Nico grumbled.

"Okay, but Andy has never killed anybody. He told me that", Gina insisted.

Nico glared at said monster. "Doesn't mean I believe him that"

"They promised to not kill you", she said.

Nico gave her a disbelieving look. "And you believe that? You can't trust monsters, okay? That's the biggest mistake you'll ever make"

Gina frowned at Nico's angry tone. "Sounds like you did that mistake once."

Nico flinched. She was right. He had trusted that stupid ghost Minos in the Labyrinth and nearly payed with his life.

"We will not harm you, son of Hades", a new voice said. "We are sorry for this unfortunate meeting and hope you will enjoy your further stay"

A slightly older looking storm spirit had entered the room. He looked Asian and was wearing a suit. Of all the things a suit? Andy looked a bit confused in the background.

Nico reached for his sword in the shadows and pulled it out.

"Sure, because monsters are known for their exquisite hospitality and good will"

"I will swear it on the Styx if you promise to let us move on from this city", the Asian guy said.

Nico's jaw nearly hit the ground, but he picked it up fast enough. That was unexpected.

"What is it?", Gina asked silently.

"He...Styx...but...what?", Nico stammered, unable to form a working sentence.

"We don't mean harm to the people and we try to not kill any demigods. As you may have noticed, our youngest go to school, the older work in high ranking offices. We are part of all this." He made a motion around the room. "Chicago is not called the Windy City for nothing", the man responded.

Nico could only blink. They were willing to swear on the _Styx_ to not harm him. He knew there were monsters who were nice, like Mrs. O'Leary or Tyson, but he never thought he would actually encounter some. It was a shock to say the least. And the whole thing about including themselves in the society. He didn't know monsters were even smart enough to do that.

He leaned over to Gina.

"You want to go now?", he whispered.

"Where? I can't go home! I have watched TV, they raided my bedroom", Gina responded.

"We have a couch", Nico offered.

Gina was thoughtful for a moment, then she nodded. She looked over at the Asian guy.

"Patrick, I will go with Nico now. Thank you for your hospitality and helping me"

Patrick nodded and smiled slightly. "Of course, it's our duty to help people in need"

Nico stood up and put his sword back on his belt. Gina picked up her jacket from the floor and put it on.

"Gina, are you crazy? You want to go with a demigod? They are dangerous!", Andy suddenly shouted and stared at Gina like she had gone a little weird.

Nico glared at him. Gina sighed.

"Don't worry, Andy, I know what I get myself into.", she said. "You should get back to school, Betty probably misses you"

"But...", he said, eyes flickering to Nico.

"We won't be here next week", the son of Hades said.

"What? You won't?", Gina looked at him surprised.

"You won't either. I'm not going to school while I'm a wanted criminal. We wanted to go back to Camp anyway and you're coming with us. That's the safest way", he explained.

She nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay, I'm tired, how far is the couch?", she asked. She looked tired, too, her eyelids dropping and she was trying to hide her yawn.

Nico wondered what time it was. He looked at Patrick.

"I hold you to that promise", he warned.

Then he grabbed Gina's arm and pulled her into the shadows.


	26. Gina becomes a tomato

**Chapter 26**

Nico should have known better than to leave Will alone. The first thing he noticed, when Gina and him emerged from the kitchen wall, was Will pacing in front of the TV, a worried look on his face. Okay, that's a lie. The real first thing Nico noticed was the cooking isle he slammed into. Will's head snapped around and he narrowed his eyes.

"Nico di Angelo! What where you thinking?!", he yelled.

"Uhh...", was the smart answer.

Honestly, Nico couldn't remember what he was thinking earlier that afternoon. With the stuff happening in between it wasn't that surprising.

"Ow", Gina muttered and got back to her feet. She was holding her head and looked like she was going to puke. "You managed to aim better, Nico"

"Gina!", Will said surprised.

Then he switched into healer-mode. He ran forwards and started scanning her for any wounds, muttering something about 'slight concussion' and 'sleep deprived'.

"Will, I'm fine. Just tired", Gina said, trying to push the son of Apollo off.

Finally Will let go and nodded. "You can have the couch, if you want"

Gina nodded and walked towards the mentioned object. Then she let herself fall face forward on the cushions. It was silent, except for some light snoring coming from Gina, until Will turned towards his boyfriend, who tried hard not to fall asleep on the spot. Will took a step forward, crossed his arms and stared down at the smaller boy.

"So? Anything you might want to tell me?"

Damn, Will could be scary if he wanted to. Nico shook his head a bit and winced slightly. Even the slight motion hurt. Apparently Will noticed because his glare lessened a bit.

"You're hurt. Again.", he said.

"You make it sound like I'm some sort of idiot who can't look after himself", Nico muttered.

He wanted to go to bed now. Will frowned a bit, but whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by Gina falling on the floor. He hurried over to help her back on the couch.

Nico took this as his cue to leave for bed. Or for the shower and the bed after that, seeing as he was covered in dust, some dirt and his own blood. Where the last came from was a mystery.

* * *

Nico didn't manage to sleep long. When he woke up, the sun was just peaking over the top of the house on the other side of the street and shone Nico directly in the face. The son of Hades groaned and turned around, trying to sleep some more. But apparently that wasn't Will's plan.

"Get up, sleepyhead. You have to eat something", he said in his annoyingly cheerful voice.

Nico didn't want to get up. He felt even more tired than last night and that's saying something. So instead of standing up, he buried his head under his pillow. Will sighed and left. Happy about his little victory, Nico fell asleep again.

* * *

When he woke up next, the sun was already high in the sky. Next to the bed, on a small table, sat a plate with some bread and eggs on it. Nico eyed it warily, not knowing where it came from.

A knock sounded at the door and Will poked his head in. "You're finally awake." Then he looked over at the plate. "And you still haven't eaten anything. That's bad for your health."

"How late is it?", Nico asked, completely ignoring the last statement.

"Shortly past 12. What happened last night that made you sleep for nearly twelve hours?", Will asked. He sat down at the foot of the bed.

Nico didn't think it would be a good idea to tell Will about him being knocked out again. Instead he told him about following Mrs. O'Leary and finding Gina in an abandoned building. At the end of the story, Will was looking at him with a doubtful expression.

"What happened in the two hours in between?", he asked.

"Nothing happened. We talked and that was it", Nico lied.

He really didn't want to tell Will about Andy and Patrick.

"Oh, okay", Will said and stood up. "We will leave this evening"

With these words he disappeared out the door and Nico was left feeling guilty about lying to him. Two minutes later Will stormed back in, looking furious.

"What is-"

"Talking? Just talking? Gina just told me what really happened. Why would you lie to me about something like that?", Will yelled.

Nico looked down at his hands. He didn't know. He didn't know why he lied to his boyfriend and that made him feel even worse. Was it because he was embarrassed about that? Or that he was confused about the whole 'nice monster' thing? Or maybe he just didn't want to worry Will. Not that he would be.

Suddenly, Will let out a long sigh and dropped down on the bed.

"I can guess why you didn't tell me", he said.

Nico looked at him surprised. "You do?"

Will nodded and grinned at him. "You didn't want to admit that the great Ghost King was defeated by some peaceful wind spirit" Then the son of Apollo burst out laughing, falling backwards on the mattress.

"You're stupid", Nico grumbled and turned away from Will.

"So, you admit it", Will said triumphantly.

"No!", Nico told him.

"Admit it!", Will yelled.

"Never!", Nico growled.

Will surged forward, tackling Nico, causing both to fall on the floor.

"Admit it!", Will laughed.

Nico shook his head.

"Admit it!"

"Make me!", Nico finally started smiling too.

An evil grin formed on Will's face. It looked really wrong there. Then Will started tickling the smaller boy, who tried desperately to get away from him. Nico managed to push the laughing boy off him and fled towards the door. Before he could reach it, strong arms wrapped themselves around his torso and pulled him back.

"Seriously, tell me why you lied", Will whispered into his boyfriends ear, making the son of Hades shudder slightly.

Nico freed himself from Will's grip and turned around. He shrugged in response to the question.

"You don't know?", the older asked.

Nico nodded, still not meeting Will's eyes.

"You know you can tell me anything", Will said. "And I was really worried about you. You disappeared in an enormous city full of monsters. Anything could have happened, you could have been injured or worse, dead."

"Sorry", Nico muttered. He felt like a small child being scolded by its mother. "Won't happen again"

Will laughed. "I hope so. Now get something to eat, before you pass out from hunger", he said and pushed Nico towards the plate standing on the small table next to the bed. "And then we can talk again"

Nico really didn't want to talk about the previous night. Maybe Will was actually right and Nico was embarrassed about it. Being defeated by peaceful monsters _did_ hurt his pride in a way.

"Do we have to? Can't we do something besides talking about last night?", he asked.

Nico turned towards Will, who was standing directly behind him, something that surprised the younger one a bit. He nearly took a step backwards to get the son of Apollo out of his personal space, but fought against that instict.

"And what would that be?", Will looked curious.

Nico smirked and wrapped his arms around Will's neck, pulling him down towards him. Their lips met briefly, before Nico pulled away again. Instantly, he missed the touch of Will's lips on his. Nico had wanted this kiss to only last for a second, but apparently Will had other ideas. He pressed their lips together again, taking Nico's breath away. It escalated quickly after that. Will took a few steps backwards, until his knees hit the bed and they both fell on the mattress, Nico on top of Will. Will broke their kiss and started giggling. Nico frowned at him.

"What's so funny?", he asked.

"Nothing", the son of Apollo muttered and pulled Nico into another kiss.

Nico was quick to respond and tangled his hands in Will's golden locks. Arms sneaked around Nico's waist, pulling him closer and a hand came to rest on his hip, under the shirt. A knock interrupted the two boys. Will made a somewhat annoyed sound and pulled away. Nico looked over at the door, where a red-faced Gina stood, eyes wide open and mouth forming silent words.

"I...uh...wanted to know when we will leave...but...I will...just go back into the living room now", she stammered and ran out of the door.

Nico was resembling a tomato too and rolled over, falling on the bed next to Will.

"I totally forgot that she was here", he said, face hidden behind his hands.

Will was silent for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter. Nico scowled at him. Will tried to stop his laughter, which only resulted into him getting hiccups.

"I will go talk to her", he said, pecked Nico on the cheek and stumbled out of the room.

Rolling over again, Nico buried his head in the pillow and groaned. What a great way to start the day. And that was meant both sarcastically and literally.

* * *

Eating lunch with a flustered Gina and a still hiccuping Will was not an experience Nico wanted to repeat. An awkward silence hung over the three teens, only interrupted once in a while by Will's hiccups.

Gina cleared her throat and looked up from her waffles. "So, when will we leave?"

Nico shrugged and went back to poking his waffles. He still didn't get how some people could eat that as their first meal of the day.

"At seven this evening", Will answered. "We will take the train to New York"

"And why not take a car? Or shadow-travel?", Gina asked.

"Because none of us have a license and Jules-Albert is unable to drive. And I'm not letting Nico shadow-travel anymore.", Will explained. He glanced at his boyfriend as he said this, noticing that the waffles still weren't touched.. "You should eat something"

"I'm not that hungry. Don't we have some lighter food? Like bread?", Nico responded.

"No, that's all we have left. In case you didn't notice, there wasn't any time to buy food since Monday. But your breakfast is still standing on your bedside table, if you want that"

"You haven't eaten anything since Monday?", Gina gasped.

"No, no, we did. Don't worry", Will assured her hastily. Then he frowned for a second before smiling. "Look, the hiccups are gone!"

Gina started giggling at that. The awkwardness finally left the air.

"What do we do until this evening?", Nico asked.

"Well, we still have to deal with Jonathan", Will said.

"He's still out there?", Gina asked in surprise.

"Yeah. If he was captured he would have told them about us. No doubt about that", Nico said. "There's also that kid Jason wanted us to bring to camp. You know where she lives?" He directed the last question at Will.

"No idea. Maybe Akemi knows something? Didn't she want to help find her?"

Gina looked between the two of them, confusion written all over her face. "When did all that happen?"

"Yesterday", the two demigods said in unison. Then they looked at each other, frowning.

"I will call Akemi", Will said.

He stood up and walked over to the bookshelf, where an old mobile phone laid.

"Wait, isn't using phones dangerous?", Nico asked.

"It's one call and an emergency. I like using this as much as any demigod, but there's no other way to reach Akemi.", Will said. He eyed the mobile phone in his hand with mistrust before sighing and typing in the number of Akemi's land-line phone.

"Phones are dangers to you?", Gina asked.

Nico nodded. "When we use them, they attract monsters. It's like using a signal flare"

He looked down at his sword, making sure it was easy to get in case a monster decided to visit. Gina gulped and looked over at Will who was talking rapidly to someone on the phone.

"Yeah, okay, bye!", Will shut off the phone and placed it back on the shelf. "Akemi said one of the families found Jonathan and are currently talking to him. He shouldn't be a problem. She doesn't know anything about the demigod, though"

"Do we need that friendly hellhound again?", Gina asked.

Nico shook his head and smirked. "There are other ways to track a demigod"


	27. Nico plays with dolls

**Chapter 27**

"Doesn't look so special", Gina said and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Looks can be deceiving", Will told her. He looked over at Nico. "You sure it is here?"

"Yes!", Nico snapped.

"Okay then. Let's do this"

Will took a few steps towards the two story house, before turning towards his companions. Gina was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, so that she wasn't discovered. Nico hadn't wanted her on this trip, but Gina had protested and begged until Will gave in.

"Are you guys coming?", Will asked.

Gina nodded and practically ran after the son of Apollo, while Nico lagged behind a few steps. He was tired from his recent use of his powers. Locating the demigod in the outskirts of Chicago wasn't an easy feat and had sucked out any energy he had gained in his sleep this morning. Nico nearly stumbled over a small rock lying on the path leading up to the front door. Will caught his arm and pulled him upright again.

"Everything okay?", he asked concerned.

Nico nodded and freed his arm. "Just didn't see it there."

He kicked the stone of the path and it clattered into a bush. Confused at the metallic sound emitting from the plant, the three teenagers turned towards it.

"What was that?", Gina asked.

A rustling came from the bush and a head peaked out. It was a young girl, maybe seven years old, with bright red hair in two braids and sparkling green eyes and dark skin. She was holding the stone Nico just kicked towards her.

"Who are you?", Gina asked and took a step towards the girl. She got down on her knees, so that they were the same height and gave her a friendly smile.

"I'm Claire Brown and I'm 8 years old.", the girl stated proudly. "And who are you?"

"Nice to meet you, Claire, I'm Gina Spa-mphh!", Gina said, but was interrupted, when Will clamped a hand over her mouth and looked around. He pulled her to her feet and over to Nico.

"You don't get the whole 'I'm a wanted criminal' thing, do you?", Nico asked her.

Gina looked annoyed and freed her mouth.

"I was just introducing myself, that's allowed, right? It's not like she would call the police on me, she is eight!", she said and crossed her arms.

"Then be a bit more quiet next time. The neighbors could have heard you", Will said and looked worriedly over at the other houses surrounding them. In the driveway of the one across the street stood a middle aged lady, holding shopping bags and eyeing them suspiciously. Nico also could swear another woman was watching them through the window in the house on their left side.

"That's Mrs. Golding over there, she is really nosy", a small voice piped up.

Startled, the three teenagers looked down to find Claire standing in the middle of their little circle, innocent blue eyes blinking up at them. Wait, didn't she have green eyes?

"Claire!", Gina exclaimed. "Since when were you standing there?"

"Yeah, since when? And why didn't we notice?", Will said and looked at Nico in question.

"Why are you looking at me now?", the son of Hades asked defensively.

"Because you're supposed to notice someone creeping up on us", Will replied and laughed.

Gina ignored them and was back to gushing over little Claire. Nico punched Will in the shoulder, making the older demigod flinch away from him.

"Ow", he muttered and rubbed the spot.

"You're such a cry baby", Nico told him.

"Am not!", Will exclaimed.

"Yes you are"

"No, I'm not!"

"Boys, stop flirting and help me out here!", Gina called, making the boys blush.

Will walked over to Gina to help her with Claire, who sat on one of her feets, arms wrapped around the leg. Gina tried to walk towards them, but Claire made that nearly impossible.

"Gravity!", she yelled happily.

Will went to work on freeing the girl, while Nico looked around once more. Mrs. Golding, if that was her name, was still working with the grocery bags and sending them disapproving looks. Nico glared at her and she hurriedly looked away.

Suddenly, the door flew open, revealing a young woman, in her mid twenties, wearing an apron over a sundress and with black hair in a braid.

"Claire, what are you doing?! Leave that girl alone, right now!", she said sternly.

"Yes mummy", Claire whispered and let go of Gina.

The woman, who must be her mother, picked the girl up and turned to the other three.

"I'm truly sorry if she bothered you. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Are you Ida Brown?", Will asked. The woman nodded. "We are here to talk to you"

* * *

Will, Gina and Nico were sitting on a comfortable sofa in a bright living room. Mrs. Brown, or what she preferred Ida, was pacing in front of them, while Claire was playing with a stuffed tiger and a pot, which were with her in the bush before. Her hair had changed colour, going from red to a light brown, something that was confusing Nico. If he had to guess a godly parent, his first bet would be on Aphrodite, but there was still Mrs. Brown, who was Claire's mother, so he had no clue about the parent. And Nico didn't like it to not know something. This meant his mood wasn't the best.

Something poked him in the side and Nico looked over to see Will frowning at him.

"What?", he asked.

"Stop glaring at Claire, she didn't do anything to you", Will said.

Nico frowned and looked over at the young girl, who was looking at him a bit scared. Great job, Nico.

Thankfully her mother hadn't noticed anything and was still focused on something else. Gina gave Nico a disapproving look and slowly walked towards Claire to distract her.

"So it truly is time, huh? I hoped I could keep her for longer", Ida Brown said and looked at her daughter with sad eyes.

"She can of course return right after summer break ends, but for now it's the safest thing we can do.", Will said with a gentle tone and gave her a comforting smile.

They had explained to Ida that they were from a summer camp in Long Island for special children. She had told them that she knew they were demigods and also that she knew what camp was. That made the job a lot easier.

Ida sighed and sat down on the other sofa, facing them.

"How will you get her there? Will she be safe? What about other kids her age? Her half-siblings?", she fired question after question. "What about the food there? And the training, will it be safe for her? How is the sleeping arrangement and who can I call if there are any problems?"

Nico glanced at Will, hoping he could answer them. Gladly, Will did.

"We will take an Amtrak train to New York this evening and then a camp van to Long Island. We will make sure she gets there unharmed. If anything happens, I'm a healer and Nico is a very good fighter, so she should be fine."

"This evening already?", Ida exclaimed. "Can't she go on Monday? And by train? Won't that take really long?"

Nico sighed, he was really annoyed by this woman.

"This trip was planned before we knew we had to pick her up, sorry. And Monday is too late, we have to get her", here Nico pointed at Gina "to camp as fast as possible. Also, with every day we remain near Claire, more monsters will come after her, you don't want that, do you?"

The son of Hades knew it sounded a bit harsh, but he didn't care.

Will glared at his boyfriend before saying: "Our driver is currently unable to, well, drive and shadow travel is out of the question, seeing as Nico is not in the condition to get four people safely to New York."

Obviously Ida finally saw sense and nodded.

"And you don't have to be afraid of the other children there, they are all a really nice and welcoming bunch", Will finished.

Nico nearly laughed at that. Welcoming, sure, and he was actually a son of Aphrodite.

Ida mumbled something the boys couldn't hear and then turned towards Claire.

"Hey sweetie, these three are here to take you to a really nice place for the summer. What do you say, do you want to go upstairs and pack your things?", she said.

Claire looked at her with big brown eyes, before her gaze flickered to Gina.

"Okay, but can she help me?", she asked excitedly.

With an 'of course' from Gina the two of them left the room.

Ida turned back to Will and Nico.

"I don't want her traveling with strangers, so tell me something about you", she said.

Nico didn't like talking to strangers about himself, but if that meant they got to leave earlier, then he could maybe share something. Will didn't have these problems and he immediately started talking.

"Well, my name is Will Solace, son of Apollo, god of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy and healing, head-counselor of Cabin 7, healer in the camp infirmary, fighter in the Second Titan War as well as the Second Giant War and Hero of Olympus", Will rattled off, like he learned it by heart. Maybe he did. Finished he took a deep breath and smiled.

Ida looked at him with wide eyes.

"What?", she asked.

Will nudged Nico with his elbow. "Your turn"

"Do I have too?", Nico asked.

"Yes, please. As I said, I want to know the people traveling with my daughter", Ida told him.

"Oh well...my name is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, head-counselor of Cabin 13, fighter in the Second Titan and Giant Wars and Hero of Olympus", Nico said and gave Will a look that clearly said that it was his fault he had to share that tiny bit of information.

"And Hades is the god of what exactly?", Ida asked. Nico doubted she wanted to know that.

"He is the ruler over the Underworld and god of the dead", Will told her like it was nothing.

Ida looked horrified. "So you can kill people?", she asked.

"Yes, everybody can kill people.", Nico muttered.

Will looked like he wanted to laugh but knew better than to do that now. Ida looked ready to throw them out and then they would fail their mission.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her cheeks, before taking a long sip from her tea.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Brown?", Will asked concerned.

"Yes, yes, I'm quite alright. You want some tea?", she asked.

Nico and Will shared a glance, before shaking their heads. Ida looked ready to hyperventilate. Nico leaned over to Will while Ida was taking another deep breath and whispered: "You deal with her and I will check up on Gina and Claire"

"Why do I have to deal with her?", Will asked.

"You're the doctor. Good luck", Nico said and pecked Will on the cheek before leaving the room.

He could her a slightly terrified whimper coming from the son of Apollo.

Nico ran up the stairs and then followed Claire's loud voice to the last door in the hallway. The door was painted a light shade of pink with butterflies and heart stickers surrounding a sign with what was probably Claire's name written on it. Nico shuddered at the sight. He knocked twice before opening the door slowly.

"Hey Nico!", Gina called from the inside and waved him in.

She sat on a bed with white sheets with flowers on them, carefully folding a couple of shirts. On the floor laid a pink Minnie Mouse backpack with the stuffed tiger shoved into it, surrounded by more clothes. Claire was currently fishing around in her dresser that was shoved against the wall, which was painted pink too, and talked loudly about the game she played earlier in the garden. Nico felt like the only thing in this room that wasn't pink was the ceiling. With closer inspection though, he noticed a couple of glittery hearts and butterflies stuck to it. The boy suddenly felt very out of place.

Claire turned around at the sound of Gina's voice and started grinning.

"You can help too!", she exclaimed happily and ran towards him.

Nico took an involuntary step back and frowned at his own actions. Why was he afraid of a small girl? Claire clamped her hand around his wrist and dragged him towards a shelf, babbling about a Katie or something. Nico send a panicked look at Gina, who just fell of the bed laughing.

"I need to pack Katie and all of her clothing and her friends.", Claire said, tugging at Nico's sleeve to get his attention.

"Who is Katie?", the boy asked confused.

Claire grinned wide and produced a doll from behind her. It wasn't one of the cheap plastic dolls you got in the stores but one that was made of textile and looked like it was sewn together by hand.

"My mummy made it for me and my aunt did all the clothes.", Claire said proudly. "Does your mummy do that too?"

Nico flinched a bit and then shook his head. Gina went silent in the background.

"Why not?", Claire asked, not noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Uhh...I don't have a mother", Nico said.

Claire got huge eyes, then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Nico and hugged him. Strangely that felt quite nice. After a minute or so Claire let go and beamed up at Nico.

"Here, you can hold Katie", she offered and pushed the doll into Nico's hand. He stared at her dumbstruck, before muttering a 'thanks'.

Claire nodded happily and turned towards her shelf to search for Katie's clothing. Nico looked over his shoulder at Gina, who grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Go get the girl!"

Nico pondered if he should throw the doll at her but opted against it. She wasn't worth the trouble. So he just rolled his eyes.

"Can you bring me my bag, please?", Claire asked.

"Sure", Gina said and picked up the pink bag from the floor. "Are you sure this will all fit?"

"I have another bag under the bed I can use" With that Claire started shoving small dresses into the bag.

"We can't take too much", Nico told Gina. "There's not enough space in the cabins. Why does she want to bring her doll anyway?"

"Maybe she is special to her or something", Gina said and took the doll from Nico. "She is eight years old, she needs something to do. What did you do when you were eight?"

"When I was eight my family fled from Italy to Washington DC because World War II was starting", Nico said.

Gina made a shocked sound. "WHAT?!"

Nico smirked. "Yeah, I was born on the 29th of January 1932."

"But...but...but...I don't get it"

"We moved to DC, Zeus blew up the hotel, my mom died, Hades wiped our memories, we stayed at a boarding school then were send to a time-warping casino and hotel in Las Vegas, then we were send to a military school, there I was rescued by Percy who brought me to camp, Bianca died and I don't feel like telling the rest."

With a 'thud' Gina landed on her butt and stared at nothing with a horrified expression. Then she flopped back and laid on her back.

"Did I shock you?", Nico asked with a bored voice.

"Uhh..."

"What's up with Gina? What did you do?", Claire piped up and leaned over the shocked teenage girl.

"She is fine, just tired. Let her be, okay?", Nico said to the girl and steered her away from Gina. "How about you pack the rest of your stuff?"

Claire nodded and raced towards her dresser, completely forgetting about Katie's clothes.

Nico sat down next to Gina and looked at her concerned. Hopefully he didn't shock her too bad.

"Your 80 years old", she said, staring at the ceiling.

"79 actually", Nico said.

Gina started giggling like mad.

"You're as old as my grandpa!", she laughed.

Nico smiled slightly, she was alright.

"I'm finished!", yelled Claire and jumped in the middle of them.

She was now sporting bright pink hair and green eyes. She sat down between Gina and Nico and picked up Katie and started playing with her.

"Aww, look at you, Nico, ever the ladie's man", said a familiar voice from the doorway.

"Shut up, Solace!", Nico yelled at him and flung one of Katie's shoes at his head.

Laughing Will dodged the attack.

"Oi, mister, go and bring Katie back her shoe!", Claire said sternly and stemmed her hands on her hips. She had a slightly unsettling glare on her face , her hair darkening.

"Yeah, sure, okay", Nico said and got up. Why he was listening to an eight year old, he didn't know.

"Tell me if you need help, gramps", Gina giggled and got rewarded for that with a glare.

Nico strode over to the door, picked up the stupid pink shoe and returned to Gina and Claire. Will was laughing like crazy in the hallway and Gina was giggling.

"Here is your shoe, my lady"

Nico offered the shoe to Claire, who lost her glare and looked delighted.

"Why thank you, kind sir", she giggled, leaned forward and gave Nico a short kiss on the cheek, before going back to play like nothing happened.

The son of Hades was so shocked, he forgot to breath for a few seconds.

Will had stopped laughing and sat down next to the other three. He gave Claire a fake stern look an said: "You might be a lady, but you can't steal my guy"

Then he leaned over and pressed a kiss on Nico's other cheek. Claire giggled in delight and Gina was laughing, rolling on the floor and all. Nico was completely confused and looked from Will, who was smiling smugly, to Gina, who was wiping tears from her eyes, and then to Claire, who was innocently playing with Katie, as if she didn't get what happened either.

"What?"

Gina stopped laughing but couldn't hold in some of her giggles. "Do I have to kiss you too now? Apparently I'm the only one who didn't"

Nico looked at her horrified. "Please no!"


	28. Claire likes train stations

**Chapter 28**

Thankfully Nico never found out what it was like to kiss Gina because Ida came walking into the room.

"I cleared up everything with her school and her piano teacher. Anything else I have to do?", she asked.

Will shook his head and got up. "Thank you for doing this, but it wasn't necessary. Camp normally takes care of these things. If you say good bye now to Claire, we will be on our way"

Ida looked surprised.

"But it's only three in the afternoon, surely you don't have to go already", she protested.

"Actually, we do have to go. We have to get back into the city after all", Nico spoke up.

"Yeah and I need to pack some things too, so time is running a bit short", Gina backed them up.

With her being outnumbered, Ida gave in and told Claire to come with her for a moment.

"Let's go then", Will said to his friends and helped them up.

"Are you still tired?", he asked Nico, who nodded slightly. He still didn't want to admit that.

Will wrapped an arm around his shoulder to support him for which Nico was thankful.

"I guess that means no shadow-travel", Gina pouted.

"Definitely not!", Will exclaimed and pulled Nico even more towards him. He practically hissed at Gina protectively. Nico might have appreciated the gesture, but his arm was stuck between the two bodies and bend painfully.

"Will, my arm hurts", Nico told him.

"Oh gods sorry!"

Immediately Will let go of the younger boy and Nico rubbed his arm slightly.

"Guys, a little help please?", came Gina's faint voice. She sounded like she was in pain.

It turned out she was only trying to lift one of Claire's bags. Will went over to help and lifted the bag without much trouble. Gina stammered something about her just acting but they all knew she wasn't able to lift it. Demigods were stronger than mortals, everyone knew that. Okay, not everyone, more like all the people that knew about their world. And maybe only all the people that knew about their world except Gina. And Ida. And...Nico should stop thinking now.

"Let's pick up Claire and get back home", Will said. He readjusted his hold on the bag and frowned. "What did that girl put in there?"

He sat it down, opened it and took a long look. His frown deepened.

"Why is there a pot in there?"

Claire was skipping along happily, holding her stuffed tiger in the one hand and Gina in the other. She was swinging their joined hands and humming some tune Nico had never heard before. Gina was laughing and started to hum the same song. Nico couldn't help but think that that was the perfect disguise. Nobody would suspect a wanted criminal to skip down a sidewalk with a young girl while humming.

They stopped at a bus station and Will went to look for the next bus leaving towards the city or at least a subway station.

"There's a subway just ten minutes from here. It would be way faster to go there", Will told them.

"More walking?", Claire complained, leaning against Gina. "I already walked here"

She was clearly acting and probably just wanted a piggy-back ride or something.

"Claire, walk or we will leave you here", Nico said and gave her a challenging look.

Two women pushing buggies looked at him scandalized. Claire, however, instantly dropped her act.

"I will be nice, I swear. Don't leave me here", she begged and made big puppy-dog eyes.

"Well, then get moving"

Claire nodded and hurried to catch up with Will, who was a few meters farther away already. Gina laughed and ran after her.

"You shouldn't treat your sister like that", scolded one of the women.

Nico looked over at her and scowled.

"Oh trust me, I don't treat my sister like that"

He turned and followed the two girls.

They reached the station ten minutes later and Will went to find another plan to get the right train.

"I think I know which one to use", Gina piped up. "Keep an eye on her"

With that instruction she left.

Claire latched onto the sleeve of Nico's jacket and scooted closer to him. Nico frowned down at her. Why did she do that? Her eyes had changed colour again and were now grey. It made him wonder who her godly parent was. As far as he knew only children of Aphrodite could change their looks. Noticing that they were standing in the middle of the subway station, Nico lead her towards the side. Claire shuffled her feet and started tugging on the sleeve.

"What?", Nico asked annoyed.

Why did they leave him to babysit? He wasn't good with kids.

"I have to go to the toilette", Claire muttered, head bowed down in shame.

"Uh...okay. There's one over there.", Nico said and pointed across the station.

"Mummy said I'm not allowed to be alone in the subway. You have to come with me"

Nico had the urge to hit something. He clenched his teeth and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Come on then", he gritted out and pulled the young girl towards the toilette sign.

He stopped in front of the women's door.

"Now you go in, do whatever you have to and wash your hands", he told her.

Claire hugged her tiger harder and eyed the door warily. "But mummy said, it's not safe alone"

She turned to Nico and the boy noticed some tears in her eyes. The scared look he got from her made him feel some kind of sympathy.

"I can't go in there with you", he said softly. "It's only for girls"

Claire snivelled and nodded.

Nico send a short look around to check if anybody was watching, before crouching down in front of her, so that they were at eye-level. He pulled out a small bronze dagger and held it out towards her, handle first.

"If anybody weird looking comes at you, stab 'em with the pointy end"

Claire's eyes dried out instantly and she started to grin happily. She reached for the handle, but Nico pulled back slightly.

"Don't stab yourself, understood?"

Claire nodded and grabbed the dagger. Nico stood back up and patted Claire on the back. "Now off you go"

Claire made a happy sound and disappeared through the door. Nico leaned against the wall next to the door got ready to wait. He wondered if Will was looking for them yet. He couldn't see them from his spot against the wall and figured they were still busy with the plan.

The door creaked open and Claire came back through.

"You washed your hands?", Nico asked her.

Claire nodded proudly and showed her slightly wet palms to the boy.

"Dagger?"

Grudgingly the girl handed over the weapon and Nico stored it back in his jacket. Nico pushed off the wall and started back towards the main hall of the small station. Claire grabbed his hand and followed. The station was small and therefore it shouldn't be too hard to find Will and Gina.

As it turned out it only took five seconds. Will slammed into Nico, nearly sending them falling to the floor.

"There you are!", Will exclaimed and smiled. It looked a bit forced and Nico wondered if everything was okay.

"Nico gave me a dagger!", Claire told them proudly.

"You did what? She is eight years old!", Will yelled and shook his head.

"She was scared", Nico explained.

Will sighed in exasperation and turned towards the tunnel leading to the train platform. Nico left Claire with Gina and ran after his boyfriend, who was walking with fast steps.

"Everything alright?", he asked when he caught up with him. Why was that boy so fast?

"Yes", Will growled.

"What is it?"

"I don't like it here, no sun", Will muttered.

He looked around in disgust and shuddered. Nico should have figured that Will wouldn't be comfortable under ground. He on the other hand was feeling a lot better down here, less tired.

"We won't be down here for much longer" Nico tried to be comforting, but he had never been good at that.

They arrived at the platform just as a train was slowly rolling into the station.

"Perfect timing!", Will laughed.

He turned towards their companions, who were lagging behind a bit. The smile dropped right off his face. Claire was showing Gina something that was apparently interesting enough to slow them down.

"Hurry up girls!", Will yelled and they looked up.

The doors opened and people started piling into the train.

"Uh...Will? We should really get going", Nico said.

According to Gina the next train would show up in 45 minutes and then they would miss their train to New York.

Gina grabbed Claire's arm and ran towards them. Claire's bag was bouncing on her back and Nico feared it might fall off and slow them down even more. The last passengers were getting on, showing that the train would close its doors any minute now. Nico reached forward, grabbed Will's arm and pulled him to the nearest door. Claire hopped in right after them and flung herself at Nico, which surprised him quite a bit. Gina slipped on the train just as the doors closed. A few strands of her hair were caught in the door and her head snapped back and slammed against the glass.

"Ow", she muttered and rubbed her head, which resulted in her loosing the cap.

"You have red hair!", Claire screamed.

Some of the people on the train looked at the group of teenagers and frowned.

"Put the hat back on", Will hissed and shoved it into Gina's hands.

"I have red hair too, look!", Caire said and held up a strand of her hair. It brightened and went from brown to red.

"That's nice", Nico muttered and then pulled Claire away from the other two. He sat her down in an open seat and plopped down in a seat in front of her. "You should be a bit more quiet. There are other people on this train and they might be bothered"

It was not really the reason why he wanted her to be quiet. He actually didn't want anyone asking questions or finding out about Gina. Why was she here again? Oh right, because Nico's boyfriend was a softie who couldn't withstand puppy-dog eyes.

An older woman, who was sitting next to Claire looked up from her newspaper at this, but as soon as she caught sight of the son of Hades, she gulped and looked down again. Claire nodded and started swinging her feet. Will shuffled over to them after fixing Gina's appearance and dropped Claire's second bag at Nico's feet.

"If you're babysitting her, you can keep watch over her things. We will be over there", Will said and motioned to a couple of seat a few rows down the train.

He was hopefully kidding. There was no way he would leave Nico alone with Claire. But Will ignored his disbelieving look and walked away.

"I hate you", Nico whisper-yelled after him.

Will just laughed and slit into his seat next to Gina, who was hiding behind a Teen Vogue. Nico turned around grumbling and came face to face with a smiling Claire.

"What?", he asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"I want to play a game! How about 'I see something you don't'? I begin! I see something and that is...", she looked around and frowned. "...black!"

"I never agreed to this!", Nico told her.

"But pleeeaaassseee", Claire whined and pouted.

"No. If you want to play a game then go and bother Will with it", Nico said and crossed his arms.

Claire shook her head and looked down at her tiger. She played with its paws and let out a sniff that was obviously fake.

"Don't even try with the tears"

Claire stopped and Nico thought she finally gave up. In that moment Claire kicked him against his leg. And again and again and again. Nico let out an annoyed sigh.

"You're not giving up, are you", he asked.

"Nope!", Claire told him.

Nico closed his eyes and tried to control his anger. It wouldn't help anyone if he blew Claire up now.

"Fine. It's the tunnel wall"

Claire looked at him confused. "What is the tunnel wall?"

Nico felt like banging his head against said tunnel wall.

"What you asked me. You know, the black thing?"

"Oh that! No it was you, dummy", Claire said. "Can we play a different game now?"

_Can I throw you out of the window?_

"No. Play with your tiger or something. Just leave me alone"

Claire huffed but actually started playing with her tiger. Finally. Nico leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Hopefully she would stay quiet for another five minutes and left him alone.

The train rattled out of the tunnel and into the sunlight. As soon as they passed the border between underground and overground the exhaustion slammed back into Nico and nearly knocked him out right then and there.

"Are you okay, Nico?", Claire asked, worry clear in her voice.

Nico blinked his eyes open and looked at Claire. He nodded slightly and closed them again. It would be another thirty minutes until they reached downtown Chicago, there was no harm in taking a short nap, right?


	29. Will fights in alleys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the final chapter. There is only an epilogue left. Hope you enjoy it

**Chapter 29**

Nico was woken up by Claire, who was shaking his arm. The son of Hades groaned and opened his eyes. Claire was standing right in front of him.

"Will told me to wake you.", she told him.

"Why?", Nico groaned and closed his eyes again. He was still tired. How long did he sleep?

"Because we will be there in a few minutes and he said something about sleeping on the train", Claire explained.

Nico looked around. They were still overground, rattling along between skyscrapers on both sides. Claire looked a lot calmer than twenty minutes ago. Hopefully she would stop being so annoying now.

"You shouldn't sleep on the train while having your younger sister with you, young man", a voice scolded.

Both Nico and Claire looked at the old woman sitting in the same spot as earlier.

"What?", Nico asked, completely confused.

"He's not my brother", Claire said.

"You left her unsupervised, which is really irresponsible. She was running up and down the train for the past ten minutes!", the woman scolded.

That explained why Claire wasn't so hyper anymore.

"And what do you mean he is not your brother? Why are you travelling with him then?", the woman continued.

"Because mummy said so", Claire told the woman. She smiled at Nico and climbed on the seat next to him.

The woman looked scandalized. She probably thought Nico was kidnapping her or something.

In that moment Will turned up next to them, preventing the woman from speaking more.

"You're awake!", Will exclaimed in fake surprise. "Claire must have launched a space shuttle next to your ear!"

"Shut up!", Nico grumbled and kicked Will against the leg. He wasn't that hard to wake up, his name wasn't Percy Jackson after all.

Will just laughed and Claire started giggling too.

"Anyway, Gina said the next stop was ours. So get up and to the door", Will said.

Indeed, the train was slowing down and people started getting up. Gina was already standing by the door, cap pulled in her face and sunglasses covering her eyes. She seemed anxious to get out in on of the most populated parts of Chicago.

Claire got up and grabbed her bag, before joining Gina at the door. Will held one hand out to Nico, which the son of Hades gladly accepted. Will pulled him up and then towards the door which just opened in that moment.

"Where to now?", Will asked Gina as they climbed down the stairs to ground level.

"Just over the river. Should be five minutes if we hurry", Gina responded.

Will nodded. He was still holding Nico's hand, which normally made him uncomfortable when done in public, but at the moment he didn't mind. He was way too tired to fully progress what was going on.

Claire skipped down the stairs in front of them, her bag bouncing up and down on her back. Nico wondered how she could still have so much energy left.

When they finally reached the ground, they turned left and followed Gina, who was striding ahead.

"Where are we going exactly?", Claire asked after a while in silence.

"To the train station", Will told her.

"And then?"

"New York"

"Cool", Claire commented and grabbed Nico's other hand. He frowned down at their intertwined hands, but shrugged and let her swing them around.

"We have to hurry, the train leaves in ten minutes", Gina told them, just as they passed Willis Tower.

Claire picked up her speed and was practically dragging the two boys down the street.

"Claire, slow down a little", Nico said.

"No! We have to hurry!", Claire responded.

"Yeah, but you don't need to run"

Claire huffed and slowed down a bit, so that she was just walking very fast. She let go of Nico, though.

Will started laughing silently. Nico frowned at him, wondering what he found so funny.

Before he could ask, someone bumped into him. Nico staggered backwards a bit, letting go off Will's hand in the progress. He turned to snap at the someone who apparently didn't have any eyes, but froze when he saw who it was. Not him again.

The others had stopped too and were now watching them. Claire and Will looked confused, while Gina looked disgusted.

"Well, hello!", the boy said, blue eyes fixed unblinkingly on Nico's face.

He lifted one hand and reached for Nico's face. The son of Hades took a step back and slapped the hand away from his face.

"What's your damn problem?", he asked.

"Stop playing hard to get, you know you want it", Creepy said and winked in what should be a suggestive manner.

Nico scowled. Apparently that creeper still hadn't gotten the memo that Nico wasn't interested.

"I really want to punch your face", he replied and crossed his arms.

"You two know each other?", Will asked and looked from Nico to Creepy and back.

"Sadly", Nico growled out.

"That's Cole Lampmann, you know, the guy we talked about on Thursday?", Gina told Will.

Will's frown was replaced with a scowl, as he turned back towards Creepy. He looked ready to murder the guy.

"Yes, and you are?", Creepy said and looked Will up and down in dislike.

Will snarled and lunged at the boy. His fist slammed into Creepy's already bruised face, breaking his nose and sending him flying to the ground.

"Will!", Gina gasped in horror, while Claire clamped her hands over her mouth in shock.

Cole was staring up at them in a mixture of shock and hatred. Nico blinked at his boyfriend in surprise. He didn't see that coming. Will was inspecting his hand, a frown on his face.

"You're crazy!", Cole exclaimed and staggered to his feet.

Will glared at him and raised his hand, as if he wanted to punch the boy again. Cole gulped and turned on the spot, running away. Will growled out something like 'I will be back in a second' and ran after him.

"What is he doing?", Gina asked. She looked furious. "The train will leave shortly"

Claire was staring wide-eyed at the spot were Cole was just lying. Two red drops had stained the pavement. People were standing around them, some looking excited and others scandalized. They needed to get away from there or they would draw even more unwanted attention.

Nico turned to Gina.

"Take Claire and get her to the train, pick up the tickets and go. I will get Will", he told her.

Not waiting for an answer, he followed the other two boys. Gina yelled something after him that sounded like a cuss word, but Nico was too far away to make out the exact wording. Not that it was important, Nico was focused on finding his boyfriend. The blond hair of the son of Apollo was easy to make out and so it wasn't all that hard to follow him.

They were passing Willis Tower again and running back the way they came. Nico didn't know if Will was still following Creepy or if he was just running around and searching for the way back.

Suddenly Will turned into a small alley between two high buildings. Nico skidded to a halt in front of it. A sound like someone hitting a wall was heard. Cautiously Nico walked into the alley and turned a corner.

What he found there was a bit … unusual.

Will, breathing heavily, was standing over the limp form of Creepy. That in itself wouldn't be strange, but normally Will was the one healing the person on the ground, not the one who was the reason the person was on the ground in the first place and needed the healing. That was normally Nico's job.

"Will?", Nico asked and tapped the taller boy on the shoulder.

Will stiffened and whirled around, fist raised. Nico was more surprised than hurt, when Will's fist met his cheek, but he couldn't help but say "Ow".

"Oh my gods, Nico!", Will yelled.

He reached for Nico's cheek, but the younger flinched back a bit, making Will's eyes tear up.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry.", Will said. "Why am I always hurting you?"

He looked close to break into tears and Nico really didn't want that.

"Hey, I'm okay. It's fine, I shouldn't have startled you", he said, trying to calm his boyfriend down.

Will still looked distraught, but he nodded.

"Does it hurt much?", he asked.

Nico shook his head, even if his left cheek was throbbing painfully and he could practically feel a bruise forming under his eye. No need to worry Will even more. Will reached gingerly for the bruise and inspected it a bit.

"I'm sorry", Will muttered.

"I told you, it's fine", Nico protested.

And it really was. He could totally understand Will's reaction. Not that long ago Nico had slammed Will into the floor because he surprised him. He should have known better than to surprise Will like that.

Will looked miserable and Nico didn't want that. Will was supposed to smile constantly, not look like a kicked puppy. He reached up and pulled Will's head down to his, so he could kiss him softly on the lips.

"Seriously Will, it's okay. I had worse"

"I know, but then it wasn't me who hurt you. I'm your boyfriend and I'm supposed to protect you, not hurt you"

"I don't need protection"

"I know, but I just have the urge to...I don't know...make sure you're alright and away from harm. You're one of the most important people in my life and I want you to be happy. I feel like it is my job to make sure you get the happiness you deserve, but then I go and hurt you again and again", Will said. He dropped to the floor and sniffed. "I'm a horrible boyfriend"

Nico blinked in surprise. It had been a long time since someone said something like that to him. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, because someone finally, finally cared and that was something Nico never imagined would happen again. But now he needed to show Will that he wasn't a bad person.

Nico kneeled down in front of the other boy and put a finger under Will's chin, forcing him to look at Nico.

"You're not a horrible boyfriend, Will.", he said. "You're the best boyfriend anybody could want."

Will blinked at him.

"Really?", he asked hopefully.

"Yes"

A small smile slipped on Will's face and Nico couldn't help but smile either. He looked way better like that.

A groan pulled them from there thoughts. Creepy was sitting up, holding his head and looking around confused. His gaze landed on the two demigods a few steps away from him. The confused expression morphed into one of fury and he jumped up.

Will looked at Nico in panic, as if he had no idea what to do now.

"Please tell me you have a plan", he whispered.

"It wasn't me who ran after him, ready to beat him up.", Nico replied.

Will climbed to his feet and positioned himself in front of Nico, who was still sitting on the floor.

"You will pay for that", Cole yelled.

He balled his fists and charged. Nico was ready to jump to Will's aid, but he didn't need to. Will grabbed Cole's outstretched arm, twisted it around and slammed him head-first on the ground. Will held him down with a knee on the back and looked over at Nico, who was staring at him with an open mouth.

"Didn't expect that, huh?", Will asked cheekily.

Nico shut his mouth and scoffed. "Don't be too full of yourself, he is escaping"

Will looked down and indeed, Cole was wriggling free.

"Stop it", Will muttered and pushed Cole back on the floor.

"What the hell is your problem, man?! Who are you even?", Cole yelled. He tried to free himself again, but Will was fast to stop him.

"You want to know what the problem is? You are!", Will growled at him

"What did I do?", Cole asked. Then he looked at Nico. "Tell this weirdo to get off me"

"You kissed my boyfriend against his will, touched him against his will and you have the nerve to constantly hit on him, while it's obvious he doesn't want you to!", Will yelled angrily.

Nico couldn't help but think that Will was really hot when angry.

Creepy was stunned and kept silent. His gaze was flickering from Will to Nico and back to Will. Then he scoffed and laughed.

"You just want him for yourself. But guess what, he's mine!", he said and smirked

The look on Will's face was murderous.

"Keep dreaming", he muttered.

Then he smacked Creepy's face into the pavement. Cole went still and Will relaxed visibly.

"I think we-", Will started but was cut off when Nico practically tackled him to the ground and pressed their lips together.

* * *

"What do we do now?", Will asked.

He was sitting with his back against the wall of the alley, trying to smooth out his hair.

"The train's gone and we're stuck in the middle of Chicago"

"I don't know", Nico admitted.

He stood up and held his hand out to help Will up, too. Will took the offered hand, but still tried to smooth out the mess that was his hair.

"You look fine, Will", Nico told him, trying to get him to stop.

"No I don't.", Will replied. "Everybody will see that I was just making out with my boyfriend"

Nico rolled his eyes. Since when was he bothered by that?

He started to walk towards the street, Will was trailing behind a bit. Nico was thinking about their current situation. Gina and Claire were, hopefully, on the train to New York. They would arrive there tomorrow and then be picked up by a van from camp. The problem here was that neither Will nor Nico had told them about the van. They would have to send them an IM and tell them everything they needed to know. Until then, Nico and Will would probably go back to the apartment and maybe take the train tomorrow or a greyhound bus to New York. The only thing Nico was sure about at the moment was that they needed to get back to camp as fast as possible. They had their first completely monster-free day in a week today and Nico doubted it will last until midnight. And yes he counted the wind spirits from yesterday.

"Are you up for shadow-travel? We could go to the train", Will suggested.

"It would be suicide to try and shadow-travel into a moving train while I'm not completely up to par. And before you ask, New York is too far", Nico replied.

Will looked horrified.

"But you just gave me an idea", Nico continued.

"Will everybody survive this idea of yours?", Will asked.

"I should survive it. However, afterwards I will need some place to sleep for a while."

Will looked doubtful but after thinking about it for a minute, he nodded. "When do we go?"

Nico looked at his watch. "In about an half an hour. You want to get something to eat?"

"Sounds like you are asking me out on a date", Will said and laughed.

Nico rolled his eyes.

Will wrapped one arm around Nico's shoulders and pulled him towards him. Somewhere in the back of his head Nico wondered how Will caught up with him so fast.

"There is a McDonald's down the street", Nico said and pointed in said direction.

"We're not going to McDonald's!", Will protested."That's so unhealthy."

"Yep, still the same dork as ever", Nico muttered.

Will laughed again. "We are still not going to eat fast food. Doctor's orders"

Nico gave his boyfriend a disbelieving look. "You're not starting with that again, are you?"

Last autumn Will had finally stopped using that phrase, after Nico nearly killed him because of it. It had been really annoying.

"Apparently that was the only way to get you to actually do what was good for you", Will responded and shrugged. Or tried to, seeing as one arm was still slung over Nico's shoulders.

"By the way, do you want me to put some nectar on that bruise", he asked, now completely serious.

Nico touched the spot right under his eye, were a big blue bruise had formed. It stung when he touched it, but other than that it didn't hurt. He actually had forgotten about it.

"It's fine", he said.

They passed a small coffee shop.

"I could really use a coffee", Will said.

Nico lifted his arm from his shoulder and nodded his consent.

Five minutes later he was sitting in a comfortable chair, holding a steaming cup of coffee and listening to Will telling him about his dog and the day he locked himself in the basement. It was a really funny story and Will was great at telling it. All in all he was enjoying himself.

That was until an IM shimmered in front of them and they found themselves looking at the head-counsellors surrounding the ping pong table. Chiron furrowed his brows and looked at them questioningly.

"Where are you? Aren't you supposed to be on a train?", he asked.

"Well...we kinda missed it", Will admitted.

He ducked his head and waited for the scolding. Nico calmly took a sip of his coffee.

"You missed it? What about that girl you wanted to bring? And the demigod?", Jason piped up. He was leaning forward on the table and looked kind of angry.

"Don't get your toga in a twist, Jason", Nico said. "They are on their way."

"Wait, only you missed the train? Were you too busy to remember the time?", Percy asked. He wiggled his eyebrows and Nico wanted to throw something at him. Some of the others laughed and Annabeth leaned over and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't be an idiot, Percy", she scolded.

"Will wanted to beat someone up", Nico told Jason, trying to ignore Percy.

Will gave him a look that clearly said 'Traitor!'.

A shocked silence hung in the rec room on the other side of the IM.

" _Will_ wanted to beat someone up?", Katie Gardner asked.

"Oh gods, that reminds me! We left him lying in that alley", Will exclaimed horrified. He looked ready to run out of the coffee shop and personally drag that idiot to the hospital.

"Who cares?", Nico muttered.

Chiron proceeded to ask them about their plans now and told them to meet up with Clarisse and Chris in New York. Nico ignored them mostly, leaving Will to handle the campers. He was content with just drinking his coffee and letting the caffeine wake him up a bit.

He glanced at the time on his watch and nearly dropped his cup. The time was already up.

"Will, we have to go", he told his boyfriend, interrupting him in the middle of a sentence. He swiped his hand through the IM and pulled his boyfriend out of the seat.

"Come on, Will", he said and pushed him out the door.

"What's up with you?", Will asked confused. "And do you have to be so rude? I was in the middle of a conversation."

"You can continue this conversation on the train, now hurry up"

They entered another alley and stepped into the shadows the setting sun cast on the floor.

"Where are we going?", Will asked.

"You will see"

With these words they were engulfed by the shadows and stepped out in a small corridor.

"I thought we couldn't shadow-travel on a train", Will asked.

"Not on a moving one, this one is currently stopping in one of the stations", Nico explained and grinned at the perplexed look he got from Will. "Let's find the girls"

Will nodded, grabbed Nico's hand and dragged him through a door and into a big compartment. They found Gina and Claire in a compartment three wagons down. They had to leave the train and get into another wagon to find them. Thankfully the train was parked in this station for a while.

"Will! Nico! Where were you!", was the furious greeting they got.

"Hey Gina", Will said and sat down in a seat across from her.

Seeing as he was still holding Nico's hand, he was dragging him down with him.

"Holy Hades! What happened to you?", Gina asked concerned and leaned forwards to inspect the bruise on Nico's face.

"Did you run into a wall?", Claire asked.

She was now sporting bright green hair. Looking at her it finally clicked. Only Aphrodite and her children were able to change their looks (take Piper for example), but Claire's godly parent was male. But Nico knew that Aphrodite also had godly children, one of them being male. Why shouldn't the ability of changing your looks be passed down to your godly children? So if this theory was indeed true, that would mean Claire was the daughter of Cupid, or his Greek form Eros, a god that wasn't exactly high on Nico's 'I like them'-list. Claire, however, was not her father and he actually kind of liked her. Therefore there was no reason to treat her any less.

"I accidentally punched him", Will said quietly and it was clear he was still feeling bad about that.

Nico squeezed his hand and shook his head slightly. A sign that he should stop worrying about it.

Gina and Claire were looking confused now, but didn't ask. Nico yawned.

"Would you be mad if I take a nap?", he asked.

Claire immediately nodded.

"Why?", Nico groaned.

"Who will play with me now?", Claire asked.

"How about you ask Will?", he suggested.

Will shook his head furiously, but Claire didn't see that. She was pouting now.

"But I want to play with you"

"Why?"

"Because I like you"

Nico was surprised at this. She liked him? Why would she do that?

"We can play tomorrow, okay?", he promised.

She was still frowning, but nodded.

Nico closed his eyes, leaned his head against Will's shoulder and finally relaxed. The train jerked into motion and they were finally on their way to camp, on their way back home.


	30. Epilogue: Paul wears blue

**Epilogue**

"Get moving, Nico, or we will be late!", Will yelled.

He was standing in front of Cabin 13, tapping his foot impatiently.

A rustling sound was heard from within the black cabin and then the door flew open. An irritated looking Nico di Angelo was standing in the doorway.

"Where are we going?", he asked. He looked like he just rolled out of bed, black hair sticking up in every direction.

"Chicago, remember?", Will told him.

"What? Why?", Nico asked.

He retreated back into the darkness of his cabin. Will followed him inside. He couldn't believe Nico forgot.

"Did the Italian sun fry your brain or something?", he asked and laughed. "We are invited to Paul's graduation"

Nico just stared at him blankly.

"If anybody got fried, that was you", he muttered.

Will grimaced at the remembrance of the sunburn on his shoulders. Next time he was sunbathing in the Tuscany, he should really put some sunscreen on. He wasn't able to sleep properly for two days afterwards.

"Just put on something nice and then we have to go", Will said and pointed towards Nico's wardrobe.

"You mean something like you are wearing?", Nico asked with distaste.

Will looked down at himself and took in his light blue shirt and the khaki pants. "What's wrong with that?"

"Everything"

Will scowled. "Just get dressed. Meet you at the big house"

He turned around and stomped out of the cabin. Sometimes his boyfriend was so annoying.

"Hey, Will!", a voice yelled.

The son of Apollo saw a flash of silver and red, before a figure came barrelling into him. Groaning he climbed back on his feet and helped the girl up too. Gina was looking the same she did two years ago. The only difference were the silver pants and the bow slung over her shoulder. Will wondered how she was faring with the hunters, but judging by the big smile that was plastered on her face she was feeling good.

"I haven't seen you in ages. How was Italy?", she said.

Will smiled sightly at the mention of his vacation in Italy. He had finally managed to convince Nico to visit the country and they had spent two wonderful months in Europe, just returning home last week.

He opened his mouth to tell her everything about the trip, when Nico turned up next to them. He was not exactly dressed up in the right way for a formal occasion like this with his ripped black jeans and the the slightly faded out black t-shirt, (even Gina was wearing a blouse) but he looked good nonetheless. Will kissed him on the cheek as a greeting.

"Ugh, guys, stop!", Gina said and pulled a face.

Will chuckled at her disgusted expression.

"Mrs. O'Leary is waiting for us, shall we go?", he said.

Gina nodded and led the way to the big house, were the giant black dog was sniffing the porch.

"What is she doing here?", Nico asked Will quietly.

"She was invited too. How could you have forgotten that?", Will replied.

Nico didn't answer.

They reached the friendly hellhound and climbed aboard. Gina told her the address of her old school and they faded into the shadows. The graduation ceremony was held place on the big lawn behind the school, so when the trio and the hellhound appeared in the middle of the small woods, they didn't need to walk far afterwards.

Gina shrunk her bow into a necklace and Nico patted Mrs. O'Leary on the head. Will stayed clear away from her.

"Are we going?", Gina asked.

Will nodded and they left the woods.

A small stage was standing in the middle of the lawn with chairs placed in front of it. Students in blue graduation gowns were mingling around on the lawn, taking pictures or talking to their friends. Families and friends were running around between then and Will could see some of the teachers standing near the stage. He actually recognized some of them, even if it was two years since he was here.

Nico looked uncomfortable, while Gina was standing on her toes, trying to make out her old friends.

"Will, Nico, Gina! You made it", a male voice yelled and a blue-clad figure was running towards them.

"Nico to see you, Paul!", Will greeted.

Paul looked older than the last time Will saw him, which was five months ago.

"Paul, who are these people?", a woman, who had followed Paul, asked. She looked a lot like him, so Will figured she was his mother.

"They are the friends I told you about", Paul explained.

Will waved and smiled at the woman who was studying them with a furrowed brow.

"Nice to meet you", she said after a while.

"Hey there's Akemi and Betty! And Andy!", Gina exclaimed and pointed at three figures standing a bit away from the others.

"Let's say 'hello' to them", Will suggested. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Thomas. See you later"

Then he grabbed Nico's hand and dragged him to Akemi and the others. Nico was grumbling under his breath.

"What got you in a bad mood", Will asked him.

"Getting up so early in the morning and you dragging me around", Nico muttered. "Seriously Will, why are we here?"

"Because Paul invited us and I wanted to see our friends again", Will answered.

"Hey, Akemi!", he greeted the Japanese girl, when they reached them.

Akemi looked at them in surprise, before greeting back. Betty looked at them in confusion, while Andy narrowed his eyes. Nico scowled back at him. Will wondered shortly what happened between them, but decided it wasn't important right now.

Paul and Gina were talking about her new life with the hunters, while Akemi was 'introducing' Betty and Andy to Nico, who looked like he wanted to be everywhere but here. Will smiled slightly at them all. This made him remember the fun time they had in the week Nico and him lived in Chicago.

"What are you smiling at?", Nico wanted to know a bit later, when they walked over at the chairs to take their seats for the ceremony.

Will grinned even more.

"I was just thinking about this week, two years ago. I kind of miss that time. It's nice to see that everything worked out so great and we gained so many new friends, don't you think?"

Nico looked like he thought Will had lost his mind or something.

Will just smiled. Yep, everything was great.

**~THE END~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading :)
> 
> ~thegoddesskym


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